Lancashire West Division HQ

The external appearance of the building takes its cues from Blackpool and the vibrant seaside environment with the use of colour and form derived from the sea and sand. The internal central atrium space is known as the Promenade.

The essence of the scheme is the interface of 3 contrasting building types and fusing them together in an efficient and flexible way. This provides an improved environment for staff and detainees, while delivering important efficiencies for the force.

Through subtle design solutions, which reduce floor space and provide flexibility for the constabulary’s ever-changing operational requirements, the new facility is able to provide staff with a more efficient work environment.

This improved efficiency is exemplified by the facility’s 42-cell custody suite, which is housed in a semi-circular precast concrete building and served with an abundance of natural light. By positioning the main custody desk centrally, with the cell corridors radiating out, the suite guarantees custody officers a line of sight to each cell corridor.

We engaged in an extensive brief validation exercise and a series of stakeholder engagement events in order to develop the authority’s business case, before developing a clear set of desired objectives which provided a clear link back to the brief. This process was critical in informing the architectural and M&E design concepts and validating the competition winning approach. Care was taken to comply with the authority’s overall estate management strategy.

Through a series of workshops, research and consultation with stakeholders, we developed the accommodation schedule that was, in turn, used to develop the approved budget and cost plan. Along with the professional team, McBains reviewed the costs at all stages of the project as part of an overall evaluation of the project against the cost plan.

By developing a detailed accommodation schedule (linked to the BIM model) we were able to manage the design development against requirement and cost targets.