A New Vision in Corrections and Rehabilitation Construction:
The Emergence of Technology to Increase Efficiency
A Peek Inside
Some of the most sweeping changes in construction in recent years have been a focus on individuals and creating spaces that meet their needs, and the corrections industry is no exception. With a focus on staff wellness, rehabilitation over incarceration, and preparing residents for life outside the facility, design and construction of today’s facilities include attention to spaces and how they are used, in addition to operational efficiency and safety.
These evolving trends in correctional facilities to meet the needs of staff as well as residents not only means early collaboration and communication between owners, architects, and contractors, but it also means leveraging technology to deliver facilities that are more efficient, safe, and cost-effective. Early collaboration between the three is enhanced when teams weave in Virtual Design & Construction professionals to better integrate 3-D and 4-D technology to design and construct a facility that meets everyone’s needs.
Collaborating for Shared Goals
Though serving different roles, each team member shares common goals, and those are to deliver an optimal facility while maximizing budget, efficiency, and safety. Through early collaboration, the designer gains efficiencies due to less rework and iterations; the general contractor gains accurate, precise documents down to the smallest detail; and the owner gains time, money, and an ideal facility that meets their needs and those of their communities.
The best way to meet these shared goals is through early collaboration and discussions that lead to successful project outcomes—and technology is integral to that process. Establishing goals up front and implementing early use of technology enables teams to achieve the original purpose of the project. The benefits of this up-front collaboration with all parties means we can:
• Take early concept designs and turn them into virtual reality (VR) as early as possible, creating a vision for the project
• Go beyond 2-D drawings to bring buildings to life for people who have never built a facility or interpreted flat drawings
• Facilitate quicker decisions—for owners and designers—to better determine true goals as well as the path forward to achieve them
• Convey technical information visually
The bottom line is pictures—especially 3-D and virtual reality—are worth a million words. “Putting on goggles and standing in an unfinished space while virtually seeing the finished product is amazing,” said JE Dunn Project Manager Kyle Johnson. “The ability to be in control of the outcome from a visual perspective prior to the work being put in place is invaluable.”
With an increasing focus on mental health in corrections, correctional facilities can incorporate design elements used within behavioral health facilities to influence emotions and behaviors.
A Universal Approach
Correctional facilities consist of much more than simply secure housing. Physical space designed and built for medical care, behavioral health needs, treatment programs, correctional industries, and worship are benefitted by leveraging techniques and lessons learned from building medical and behavioral health hospitals, industrial buildings, and other building types. While the results of leveraging VR are not unique to corrections construction, they all have one thing in common: improved efficiency in the process, which not only results in time saved but also ensures an optimal facility inside and out.
With an increasing focus on mental health in corrections, correctional facilities can incorporate design elements used within behavioral health facilities to influence emotions and behaviors. The design and construction team for OPH Mental Health integrated VR as part of the design process, developing three-dimensional models of key building components that were most important to the client. OPH user groups had the opportunity to “walk through” the building via the VR headsets and visualize each space regarding size, spatial relationships, etc. “As a person with no previous design and build experience, the use of virtual reality elevated my visual understanding and input into the partnering process of creating safe spaces,” said Kimberly O’Connor-Soule, senior vice president at Camber Mental Health. “Taking an image off of a screen or paper and into the VR realm was so beneficial and being allowed to engage with the technology to bring a space to life positively influenced the project and consequently greatly impacts the lives served in our space.”
This approach and space utilization translates across industry and facility types. “Similar to behavioral health centers, as entities like states, counties and cities, begin programming and planning for new justice centers or jails, they must consider how they want to address mental health needs,” said Vice President Mike Comer. “Many counties are developing diversion centers as part of their justice/detention centers. This effort diverts those detained for behavior or crimes that were influenced by drug/alcohol abuse or mental health disorders from entering the criminal justice system, and instead offers medical or psychiatric help that is much needed—outside of the criminal justice system.” The use of VR allows various groups involved in diversion programs to influence the layout, space, and flow of the center prior to design and construction.
In addition to corrections and behavioral health facilities, projects across the country are realizing the benefits of VR and technology as well. At Fort Leonard Wood Hospital in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, military experts walked the entire hospital in VR, providing feedback on locations of equipment access and devices as well as space considerations such as room sizes and doorways. This innovative way of design review allowed for owner-driven preferences and affected the final outcome. The JE Dunn team hosted VR sessions for staff to explore the hospital and get a feel for specific areas of importance to them. Virtual reality supports staff training in classroom and online, allowing them to experience the look, feel and layout prior to walking into the new building. This allows officers to train virtually, gaining a realistic perspective of the space supporting efforts like escape prevention and officer safety.
…VR realm was so beneficial and being allowed to engage with the technology to bring a space to life positively influenced the project and consequently greatly impacts the lives served in our space.”
An owner uses a set of VR goggles to review the design of the facility.
While the approach and goal of using 3-D and VR mockups transcends industries and building types, the result and building-specific insights they offer for operations and maintenance of the facility is invaluable. “VR gives us a realistic view of what is behind the walls and shows owners what can and cannot be done in the future,” said Johnson. “If you are doing VR right of what is behind walls, above ceiling, etc., it becomes a lifelong asset to the building—all for a 3-D model and one set of goggles.”
A Tech-Enhanced Future
Using all tools at our disposal means merging tech in new ways while also using tried-and-true methods to enhance both the client experience and the end product, and the future of merging and utilizing technology to build better will continue to evolve—with the biggest evolution coming in the collaboration process itself.
Because VR and technology reduces the number of iterations by showing concepts earlier, it opens the door to introduce it early in design collaboration, and there is an opportunity to close that gap even further by bringing in subcontractors early in the process as well. “Coordinating and fabricating steel, mechanical, plumbing, fire protection and electrical trades from a 3-D model has been a standard procedure at JE Dunn for over a decade,” said Virtual Design & Construction Manager Sarah Paul. “The advantage of integrating VR into that process earlier—before subs bid a project—is that subs can truly and fully understand the intricacies of the bid packages before submitting for the work. This translates to a better understanding prior to bidding, and the trickle-down effect of these efficiencies means owners are the ultimate winners.”
As corrections, rehabilitation, and treatment centers take on a new, comprehensive assignment of securely providing space and programs for residents that improve outcomes, facilitate positive decision-making skills, and teach trades and life skills that will be useful for a productive life upon release, collaborative and thoughtful design, and construction will be imperative in rising to the occasion.
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Marc Mellmer is a vice president at JE Dunn Construction and oversees the company’s North Dakota offices, which average $100M+ in revenue each year. Under Marc’s leadership, JE Dunn has constructed more than $1 billion in projects statewide, including more than 50 significant projects in cultural, education, retail, healthcare, sports, government, and the private sector. His group has now extended its reach, constructing for clients in Minnesota, South Dakota, Texas, Nevada, and North Carolina.
A member of the US Army used virtual reality to experience the Fort Leonard Wood Hospital before construction began.