Kier has completed construction of the new Wellingborough prison, HMP Five Wells, with the help of 19 serving prisoners, as part of the Ministry of Justice’s Prison Estate Transformation Programme
HMP Five Wells spans 60,000m2 and includes seven house blocks, classrooms, workshops, a kitchen, an entry building and a spacious visitors’ hall. The Wellingborough prison is the first of many to be reformed and modernised. The aim is to overhaul the prison estate, making it more efficient, safer and focused on supporting rehabilitation.
Setting new standards in MMC and digitalisation
On this project, Kier used a Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) component-led approach to delivering the HMP Five Wells project. The construction incorporated 15,183 precast panels and more than 60,000 sub-components across 13 buildings on site.
Moreover, around 80% of the design has been standardised and is applicable to future projects. The Wellingborough prison project has used offsite manufacture extensively to support the national levelling up agenda, with the majority of manufacturing facilities in former industrial heartlands and areas with high levels of deprivation.
As BIM and digital integration with the MOJ and supply chain was so important for Kier, it ensured that all components were tracked digitally from manufacture to installation. This approach meant that not only was the prison built 22% faster but also that on-site labour could be reduced by a third: pre-fabricated mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering (MEP) alone saving 54,000 working hours on site.
Helping to rehabilitate prisoners
Their overall ambition behind the construction, beyond physically housing prisoners, is encouraging rehabilitation. The new Category C prison provides 1,680 resettlement places for male prisoners and has been designed with rehabilitation and reintegration into society in mind.
Kier and the MoJ’s commitment to supporting rehabilitation began in construction when Kier employed 19 serving prisoners via Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL). It is hoped that this employment facilitates skills development and at the very least, some work experience. In addition, 227 jobs have been created through this programme.
So far, the project has won 16 industry awards, including Productivity in Construction Initiative of the Year, Supply Chain Excellence, Offsite Project of the Year and Digital Construction Excellence.
On 3rd March 2022, an official opening ceremony was held for attendees including the Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab; the Minister of State for Prisons and Probation, Victoria Atkins; senior delegates from Kier, G4S and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
HMP Five Wells is a pioneering project
Group managing director at Kier Construction Liam Cummins commented:
“HMP Five Wells has many pioneering aspects as both a facility and construction project. Not only does it align with the Construction Playbook but it pushes the boundaries of digital construction and design for manufacture and assembly. For Kier, it represents a gold standard of public contract delivery. The Ministry of Justice and our collaborative working relationship has been central to the project’s success.
“It has been a monumental effort and required a strong, collaborative and enthusiastic approach from our team and as crucially, our supply chain. Social value has been at the heart of delivery as we have created hundreds of jobs and dozens of apprenticeships, both on site and at manufacturing facilities up and down the country.”
