Practical Prisons
The state of North Carolina chooses
“turnkey” precast concrete construction
to improve speed, quality control and safety
– and to cut costs.
By
Barbara Bogo
When the North Carolina Department
of Corrections (NC DOC) needed fast-track construction
of three 1,000-cell high-security prisons, it
turned to precast concrete for the solution.
The prisons, erected in Alexander, Anson and
Scotland Counties, used a first-of-its-kind
project delivery methodology.
The North Carolina Central
Engineering Department reported that project
costs were reduced by using a single contractor
that cut completion time nearly in half compared
with conventional building processes.
It took approximately 18 to
24 months to finish the three new correctional
facilities. In contrast, conventional construction
would have taken an additional one to two years,
if not longer.
The North Carolina prison
projects consist of the construction of three
identical prisons based on a prototype design
by the State of North Carolina. Each prison
is approximately 500,000 square feet and constructed
of precast concrete modular cells, structural
precast concrete and concrete masonry units.
Each prison is composed of 992 inmate cells,
26 day rooms, 11 control rooms, administrative
offices, a central energy plant and recreational
facilities.
Each facility will be identical
in design, layout, and installed systems and
equipment. “Because we are building exactly
the same structure three times with a staggered
schedule of three months, we are able to address
problems and issues at the Scotland project
and convey that information to the Anson and
Alexander projects before they complete that
scope of work,” said Adam Pearlman of
Centex Rooney Construction Co., the general
contracting firm.
The facilities will include
seven interconnecting buildings. Five of these
buildings are for inmate housing. Three four-story
buildings will have a three-finger design for
the general population and two two-story buildings
for segregation housing. Each of the three prisons
is identical in design and function with the
exception of local site work.
NC DOC selected structural
precast quad cell modules that were required
to be fully outfitted before erection. The four-cell
precast modules included furniture, lighting,
electrical components, plumbing, finishings,
vertical and horizontal windows, and openings
as specified in the prototype plans. The modules
even featured an exterior form liner finish
to provide an aesthetically appealing facade.
Each quad cell module is 30
feet long and 12 feet wide, weighs 95,000 pounds
and contains 23 cubic yards of concrete. To
support this project, Oldcastle Precast Modular
Group built a new factory in Fuquay-Varina,
N.C., to build the 3,000 precast cells and additional
precast components. The precast concrete units
are load-bearing, monolithically cast, five-sided
modules (cast without a floor slab). The exterior
walls of the modules are cast with a 10-inch
back wall (a 5-inch structural wythe, 2 inches
of rigid insulation, and a 3-inch exterior wythe)
and a form liner finish.
Each facility consisted of
more than 1,488 precast modular components,
744 of which were precast cell quad-modules,
372 balcony slabs and 372 plenums. Despite the
large number of components, each facility required
only four months to erect.
“Bringing this facility
on line in 21 months was a major undertaking,”
said Ted Adams, who represents Centex Rooney.
But thanks to precast concrete construction,
the turnkey units reduced time and costs while
improving quality and safety.
To find a manufacturer
of this product in your area or for more information,
visit NPCA’s Web site at www.precast.org
or call toll free (800) 366-7731.
Project
Profile
Project Name:
High-security prisons
Owner: North
Carolina Department of Corrections
Contractor:
Centex Rooney Construction Co., Orlando, Fla.
Architect:
Little & Associates, Charlotte, N.C.
Precast Engineer:
H. Wilden & Associates, Allentown, Pa.
Precast Manufacturer:
Oldcastle Precast Modular Group, Telford, Pa.
