The Women's Prison is a renovation and expansion project that demonstrates a contrast between a historic architectural style and a new contemporary style. The ancient structure housed female prisoners during the apartheid regime and was a symbol of brutality and cruelty. The new structures, symmetrical to the prison's old exercise yard, house offices such as the Human Rights Commission and the Gender Equality Commission. The new building opposes the meaning of the old structure through symbolic design details as well as functions. Kate Otten strategically designed the expansion rooms to change the meaning of the women's prison ward through different uses of materials and geometries. It is these contrasting meanings that will form the basis of this essay. The Women's Prison is located in Johannesburg between Hillbrow and Braamfontein and is part of the Constitutional Hill area. The women's prison was built in 1909 and exemplifies the architectural style of English prisons of that era. The prison is built of red brick and has surprisingly soft details. As one approaches the building from the street edge, the ancient structure draws one with intrigue towards a structure that has a sense of beauty and heritage. The entrance is adorned with bricks that have been carefully placed and molded to give the impression of a building of a friendly and gentle nature. The entrance courtyard filled with carefully tended vegetation and a picturesque black fence demarcated the pathways. The main aisle leads to the atrium which spans three floors and has elegant Doric colonnades that define the space. The floor plan is arranged in a traditional orthogonal shape that is commonly used in prisons and...... middle of paper ...... the new building houses organizations that protect human rights people, which is important for the transparency of the building, which contrasts with the confined spaces of the prison which were used for brutal acts. The Women's Prison Precinct is a project that aims to add historical significance through the use of architectural language. As we discover the spaces that exist between the old and the new, the meaning of the site changes. The old structure gives the illusion of gentle nature from the outside, but the new structures convey its true identity and its unjust and brutal environment. The new structures provide a platform for the voices of the oppressed and emphasize progress for the future. Women's Lens is an example of how architecture can shape an environment and be a vehicle to symbolize renewal while paying homage to our heritage..