PCE’s ‘kit of parts’ Secure Custody System

Design complete of PCE’s Secure Custody System for Nottinghamshire Police Custody Suite

The design of PCE Ltd’s Secure Custody System solution for Main Contractor Willmot Dixon’s £17.8 million Custody Suite project at Radford Road, Nottingham has now been completed.

PCE’s Secure Custody System is based on five principle structural precast concrete units within it’s ‘kit of parts’ which, together with a few complementary components, complete the HybriDfMA Offsite Design & Build solution. The Nottingham Custody Suite project also encompasses further refinements to PCE’s established system build, which have been incorporated by the PCE in house design team, leading to a significant reduction of over 30% in the number of different unit end connection details. This greater standardisation has resulted in a significant reduction of manufacturing mould change time and leads to improved quality both in the factory and during construction on site.

 

Reducing on site risk

PCE’s digital design processes have also ensured that temporary work risks are fully evaluated to determine what risks can be mitigated, by executing the necessary tasks in a controlled factory environment rather than taking them to site, such as the fixing of temporary hole covers, handrail connections and bracketry. An added benefit of taking these tasks off site has enabled onsite activities to be focused on the actual build, resulting in greater efficiencies and programme betterment for the client. PCE has also made further improvements in their digital monitoring of design and manufacturing workflows, which enable tracking of all the respective stages of the design and manufacture process, enhancing the management of them, and also provides the client better visibility of the entire offsite solution, as it is developed. As usual, PCE’s internal design team has been setting the standard and producing high quality drawing information, following clear what good looks like processes and guidelines for all unit drawings, layouts, sections and elevations. This consistently high level of information has enabled the manufacturing facilities to interrogate drawings with ease, minimising wastage and accelerating on the original production programme. The same drawings are also be used during the construction stage, with clear and consistent information for the onsite project team delivering the job. All design progress and improvements are recorded digitally in PCE’s Revit ‘families’ providing a digital catalogue of components for the Secure Custody System,  thus ensuring that future projects will benefit from all advancements made, thus pushing the boundaries for design, manufacture and construction efficiencies together with quality. To compliment the design aspirations for this project, PCE has also turned its attention to manufacturing improvements by investing in new bespoke duct and corridor wall moulds that will enable a higher quality concrete finish, crisper details with consistent results, as well as enabling easier and consistent setting out of cast in M&E conduits and boxes together with doors, windows and other builders work openings.

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