Defence & Justice

Macquarie Correctional Centre
Client: NSW Department of Justice
Project value: AU$196 million
600 cameras
400-beds

 

Macquarie Rapid Build Prison (RBP) at Wellington in regional NSW is a 400-bed, maximum security correctional centre for sentenced male inmates. Inside the secure perimeter, the RBP includes four accommodation buildings, housing inmates in four dormitories of 25 beds each. This type of facility is a completely new concept, never having been built before, with nothing similar in Australia.

TSA provided project management, contract management and superintendency services. In this role we were able to lead the RBP project team from a sketch / concept in May 2016, to completion / operation in late 2017.

The facility is made up of 14 buildings (primarily single storey) and has three layers of fencing, two of which are security fencing approx. 5m high. All up there is more than 5kms of secure fencing. A state-of-the-art electronic security system utilising over 600 cameras allows video motion detection and video analytics to monitor inmate movement by day and night.

Due to the extremely compressed timescale for this project, sustainability was not given a high priority. The desire from Justice was simply to get the facility constructed and operational in the shortest timeframe possible. The project was completed in just 54 weeks, despite experiencing the wettest winter on record in Western NSW.

Infrastructure NSW ‘Health Check in Delivery’ gateway review stated: “What has been achieved in the timeframe is industry-leading and sets a new benchmark in project delivery in terms of time and meeting the users’ expectations.”

The project was the winner of the 2018 NSW AIPM Project Management Achievement Awards for Regional Projects. While the builder, Hansen Yuncken was a finalist in the 2018 Australian Construction Achievement Awards.

  • 14

    high security buildings

  • 54

    Weeks to complete construction

  • 600

    cameras commissioned

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