Insight
HMP Five Wells – Driving Towards Net Zero Carbon
29 Nov 2022
HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough is the first of a series of new prisons for the Ministry of Justice, designed by Pick Everard, that apply a new concept within a highly sustainable design.
Twelve months after handover the post-occupancy assessment has demonstrated that all buildings on site have achieved BREEAM Excellent. This outcome has paved the way for the next prisons in the programme to move on to an Outstanding BREEAM target. With the Government's strategy to meet net zero by 2050, HMP Five Wells has quickly become the baseline design for future prisons.
This will involve driving towards net zero carbon by reducing operational energy demand, a significant reduction in embodied carbon and designs moving away from direct fossil fuel energy sources to electric only solutions. This is supported by onsite renewable generation, such as air source heat pumps and photovoltaic solar panels.
Success at the awards
We are also very pleased that the HMP Five Wells has been recognised as Project of the Year at the recent Constructing Excellent National Awards held in November.
Construction Excellence said:
"HMP Five Wells represents a step change in the evolution of offsite manufacture and sets new standards for excellence in innovation, collaborative working and sustainability. With repeatable, standardised components, the use of offsite manufacturing and sustainable features making it 70% more energy efficient than traditional facilities, HMP Five Wells is a brilliant example of the use of Modern Methods of Construction and provides a blueprint for infrastructure delivery for the construction industry."
Read more about the project here