Projects
Ministry of Defence Secure Custodial Suites, Kandahar
Secure modular custodial facilities engineered for rapid deployment to an operational defence environment.
Project Overview
Client:
UK Defence / Ministry of Defence
Location:
Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan
Sector:
Defence & Custodial
Solution:
Permanent Buildings
Application:
Custodial Facilities
Scope:
Design, development and manufacture of ten secure custodial suite modules
Capacity:
20 Individual cells
Delivery:
Overseas military deployment and logistics
UK Defence
Defence | Secure custodial facilities | Rapid deployment | Overseas logistics | Modular construction
Delivering secure accommodation to an operational military environment presents challenges far beyond the building itself.
For a UK Ministry of Defence requirement at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, Thurston was tasked with the rapid design, development and manufacture of ten secure custodial suite modules providing 20 cells.
The project required the physical buildings, logistics and deployment programme to work together. The units had to be secure, compliant and ready for deployment into a demanding overseas environment, with coordination spanning design, manufacture, transportation, installation and project management.
It is a strong example of Thurston's ability to turn a specialist operational requirement into a manufacturable solution designed to perform in the real world.
The Challenge
The requirement was not simply for additional accommodation.
The Ministry of Defence needed dedicated secure custodial facilities capable of deployment to Kandahar Airfield as part of a major overseas military operation.
Ten modules were required, providing 20 cells in total. Each needed to fulfil a highly specific operational purpose while being designed for manufacture in the UK and subsequent transportation to Afghanistan.
That created several challenges at once.
The buildings needed to provide appropriate secure environments for custodial use. They also needed to be deployment-ready, capable of being transported through a complex military logistics chain and delivered against the pressures associated with an active overseas defence operation.
Coordination therefore extended well beyond manufacturing. Design, production, logistics, installation and project management all had to align around the final operational requirement.
The Solution
Thurston developed ten purpose-designed secure custodial suite modules around the specific requirements of the MOD brief. Together, the units provided 20 individual cells, creating dedicated secure accommodation in a modular format suited to overseas deployment.
The project photography reinforces the specialist nature of the solution. The finished interiors incorporate robust secure doors, observation features and controlled openings, while imagery of a completed module being loaded into military air transport demonstrates how transportation and deployment were integral to the project from the outset.
Rather than treating logistics as something that happened after manufacture, the units had to be designed with deployment in mind. That meant considering the complete journey: from manufacture and preparation in the UK through military transportation to use in Kandahar.
Thurston personnel also supported the wider deployment process, with project activity coordinated through RAF Brize Norton as part of the military logistics programme.
Engineering for deployment
For projects like Kandahar, a building cannot be considered independently of how it reaches its destination.
The modules needed to move from a UK manufacturing environment into a distant and operationally sensitive location without losing sight of the security and functional requirements they had been designed to meet.
That demanded a practical approach to design.
Dimensions, configuration, secure fit-out, handling and transport all needed to work together as part of the finished solution.
The result was not simply a modular custodial building. It was a deployable secure facility, engineered around both its end use and the route required to get it there.
The result
Ten secure custodial modules were produced for deployment to Kandahar Airfield, providing 20 cells for use within the overseas defence environment.
The project demonstrates Thurston's ability to respond to unusual and operationally sensitive requirements where conventional building approaches are unlikely to be appropriate.
It also shows the breadth of modular construction when engineering, manufacture and logistics are considered together.
For Thurston, the challenge was not simply creating secure rooms but designing a custodial environment that could be manufactured in the UK, prepared for military transportation and deployed thousands of miles away where it was needed.
What this demonstrates
Secure custodial capability
Ten specialist modular suites were developed specifically for a secure custodial application, providing 20 individual cells.
Defence-sector delivery
The project was undertaken for a UK Ministry of Defence requirement within a major overseas military environment.
Designed for deployment
Transport and deployment requirements were considered alongside the physical building design rather than treated as a separate stage.
Complex international logistics
The programme required coordination across UK manufacture, military logistics and overseas deployment.
Specialist modular design
The modules demonstrate how modular construction can be adapted around operationally sensitive and highly specific end-user requirements.
End-to-end coordination
Design, development, manufacture, logistics, installation and project management all formed part of the wider delivery challenge.
Engineered for the challenge
The project started with an unusual operational requirement - secure custodial accommodation in Afghanistan - and engineered the building and deployment solution around it.
Discuss your next project with Thurston
Tell us about your operational needs, site requirements and delivery challenges. Our team will help you develop a modular building solution designed around your project.
