Standardization and Modularization of Prisons

An urgent need for additional prison capacity in Norway has resulted in the Directorate of Public Construction and Property Management (Statsbygg) and the Directorate of Norwegian Correctional Service (Kriminalomsorgen) developing a functional standard for prisons, along with an accompanying module-based prison concept called the M2015. By standardizing and designing for modularization, the expectation is that prisons can be planned and delivered faster, with high quality and at lower cost than with traditional building. We have performed 6 case studies, of which 4 are of prisons, in order to evaluate the extent of which the expected beneficial effects have materialized. Our findings are in line with the optimistic expectations; the concept has delivered on time, cost and quality compared with earlier prison projects. Still, some challenges with the concept have been identified during the process, most notably a shallow pool of capable suppliers.