
“The most well-known example of disciplinary architecture is the Panopticon, an institutional building designed by 18th century philosopher Jeremy Bentham. A watchtower is placed in the centre of a rotunda of confinement cells, functioning to create a sense of constant surveillance amongst the prisoners. The architecture facilitates the intended psychological dynamic; because the vantage point is unidirectional—the guard in the watchtower has full view of all cells, but the prisoners are unable to see into the watchtower—it is the presumption of the guard’s watchful eye that becomes a tool for the self-regulation of the prisoners’ behaviour…”