Macquarie Correctional Centre
The 400-bed Macquarie Correctional Centre was the first of two ‘rapid build’ prisons to be delivered as part of the NSW Government’s Better Prisons initiative. With the State’s prison population growing, urgent action was required to ensure new inmates could be housed without compromising safety or security. A ‘rapid build’ design was developed that allowed Macquarie to be designed, documented and built within a 12 month period. To accommodate the tight timeframe and multiple work fronts, our structural team were based at the Hansen Yuncken design office and we had a full-time site engineer. There were particular concerns around fabricators keeping up with demand and tight timeframes. To address these concerns, the team used a variety of building materials and construction methodologies to de-risk the procurement of materials and labour. Precast concrete, prefabricated light-gauge steel frames, modularised buildings and other off-site fabrication were all used in this project. Our client was pleased with our performance and provided the following testimonial: “Northrop brings out the best in our team. Always positive, cohesive and transparent, their expertise adds great value to a project and helps us to deliver smart, cost effective and safe solutions.” Nader Zreik Hansen Yuncken, ACT & NSW Design Manager