News
11 June 2012
Pick Everard completes UK’s largest public funded prison project
Costing over £150million HMP Featherstone 2, now named HMP Oakwood, stands on a 50 acre site in South Staffordshire. The prison development consists of seventeen buildings; three 480 – place house blocks, a healthcare unit, a first night unit, a visits building, a sports centre, a training centre, and a kitchen, alongside other ancillary and support buildings. These buildings are all contained within a secure boundary, providing a complete self-sufficient prison establishment.
Construction began on site in October 2009. The design took full advantage of off site manufacture and prefabricated construction. UK manufactured structural concrete sandwich panels were sourced from specialists in Lincolnshire and Taunton. With cast in services, windows and cell doors, these panels incorporate the latest standards in custodial security protection. This pre-fabrication has eliminated any site built masonry, therefore no bricklayers are required, floor screed and plaster is eliminated, natural light is increased, and acoustics are controlled. Cast in under floor heating pipes increase the useable floor area of the cells and eliminate vulnerable installations. Co-ordination of the design team through this prefabrication and the use of a PPC2000 partnering contract has led to a shortened construction period and increased cost savings.
David Nisbet, Partner at Pick Everard, said, ‘The partnering approach of the Ministry of Justice endorsed the development of strong, focused design strategies, and by incorporating innovative management and constructional delivery, has resulted in a very operationally efficient prison with a modern custodial aesthetic’.
Adhering to strict security regulations and design guidelines, the buildings provide a high quality working and living environment for both staff and prisoners.
The prison is being run by G4S Care and Justice Services. The first prisoners occupied the prison in late April 2012 and the prison is due to become fully operational by October 2012, housing a total of 1,605 category C prisoners, at normal occupancy.
Client: Ministry of Justice
Architect: Pick Everard
Contractor: Kier Construction
Structural engineer: Pick Everard
Civil engineer:Pick Everard
M&E engineer: WSP
Landscape architects: Munro and Whitten
Specialist pre-cast supply chain: PCE
Specialist M&E supply chain: BBESL
Client’s specialist consultants: WT Partnership, Aedas & Faithful+Gould
As part of the firm’s ongoing work within the Custodial sector Pick Everard has successfully secured another multi-disciplinary project to design a new kitchen at HMP Lindholme (nr. Doncaster). This will involve the in house services of Architects, Structural, and Civil Engineers, and will provide the client with a kitchen to cater for 1200 persons.
