Steel-framed workshop for Oakwood Prison

Main contractor ISG has been awarded a £7M project to construct a new workshop facility at HMP Oakwood Prison as part of the Ministry of Justice’s Strategic Alliance Framework.

One of the largest prisons in the UK, HMP Oakwood accommodates 1,605 category C male prisoners and shares a site with HMP Featherstone and HMYOI Brinsford near Wolverhampton.

The HMP Oakwood workshop scheme will see ISG build a 4,500m² unit for light industrial use on site, providing meaningful activity and skills training for up to 500 prisoners. The project was procured via a mini-competition and contributes to the significant savings already delivered through the Strategic Alliance framework.

The steel-framed building will comprise pre-cast walls and a composite panel metal roof structure. The use of high-performance building materials, and linking into the existing low carbon energy centre on site, will enable the new structure to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.

The unit has been designed to provide flexible space, so that accommodation can be subdivided and reconfigured to suit the prison’s changing future requirements.

ISG’s Regional Managing Director Danny Murray, commented: “With a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement and early contractor involvement, the Ministry of Justice’s Strategic Alliance Framework continues to prove highly efficient at delivering complex and challenging construction projects in secure environments.”