This was used in the design of the two prisons being delivered under PETP (HMP Five Wells at Wellingborough and at Glen Parva) and formed the basis for the current capacity programme.
We drew a spatial representation of the factory to define the arrangement, quantity and sizing of process stations and travel routes (including conveyors and forklifts) as well as crane zones to facilitate movement of raw materials and assemblies through parts of the line.We created a logic flow to define how all the raw materials and assembled trusses moved through the system, depending on their types and other parameters..
Some aspects of the process were fixed, such as the quantity of welding stations and the routing of specific truss types (e.g.truss type A and B can be processed in welding station 1).Others, for example the painting bays, were left as flexible station areas to allow recording of the capacity over time.. Other input data included:.
truss parameters, such as type, dimensions, and other product data.production schedules, to specify the order in which truss types would be made.
throughput and timing data, such as processing times of stations, speed of conveyors and speed of cranes..
The data itself was not hard-coded into the model and instead read from an external data file, which made running multiple simulations for differing parameters a rapid process.. Several different scenarios were simulated in the model that were made up from combinations of options.For example, where there are buildings being demolished on site or locally, materials can be sourced from these buildings, refurbished, and then used in the new building.
Alternatively, a national circular economy should be developed to enable the sharing of good quality reused products..Many structural elements, such as steel beams or concrete prefabricated floor slabs, have a life expectancy which far outlasts a building’s lifespan.
By knowing these products are going to waste through the demolition of existing buildings, designers can incorporate these components into their design from the outset, using fewer new natural resources and raw materials..Instead of breaking components into smaller pieces and recycling the individual materials, reusing a component in its primary form has a higher value for sustainable construction.