PCE Ltd are thrilled to see HMP Fosse Way has won the Infrastructure Project of the Year at this year’s Government Project Delivery Awards!
PCE were appointed by main contractors Lendlease on behalf of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to deploy it's offsite HybriDfMA Secure Prison system build solution for the delivery of HMP Fosse Way. Fosse Way, in Leicester, is a category C prison, housing nearly 2,000 inmates across 7 houseblocks. As with other prisons across the New Prison Programme (NPP), HMP Fosse Way focuses on improving rehabilitation opportunities to help reduce reoffending.
Assembled in 38 weeks by an average of 70 operatives, PCE's Secure Prison platform solution ensured quality, safety, speed, and efficiency. It enabled the sustainable manufacturing and construction of nearly 14,000 repeatable, hybrid structural components, manufactured offsite by 10 different specialists across the UK and Europe. To ensure a comprehensive and controlled offsite solution, 74,000 M&E, security, and utility sub-assemblies, including façades, were integrated throughout the offsite manufacturing process.
The repeatability of standardised components and methodologies, coupled with PCE’s ‘smart connectivity’, ensured the project could be built with speed and certainty, whilst its DfMA offsite approach minimised required resource and waste. With efficiencies both on and off site, the HybriDfMA Modern Methods of Construction delivery of HMP Fosse Way aligned with the MoJ’s net zero carbon ambitions and appetite for smarter, greener prisoner build.
HMP Fosse Way's legacy continues to enhance prison design and construction. PCE, alongside the MoJ and industry experts like Akerlof, Curtins, and Forterra, conducted carbon-reducing studies throughout the project, identifying ways to cut embodied carbon by up to 40% compared to the ICE baseline. The delivery of Fosse Way and the subsequent Decarbonising Precast Concrete report paved the way for HMP Millsike under the New Prison Programme. Utilizing a reduced concrete mix, PCE contributed to a more sustainable approach to prison construction. The progress made in modern, secure, and eco-friendly prison delivery, spurred by Fosse Way studies, showcases tangible carbon-saving initiatives. These studies will inform future expansions of the UK prison estate in a sustainable manner.
HMP Fosse Way has also set new standards for social values. PCE have worked closely with the MoJ in establishing a workshop at Fosse Way. This workshop engages prisoners, teaching them new, practical skills that help create career opportunities upon their release.
HMP Fosse Way is a great example of how innovation and challenging thinking creates new opportunities for better, more sustainable construction.
Image 3 - Credit to Rikesh Patel