Case Study:
Ministry of Justice Digital Twin

Project overview

Glider has collaborated with Kier and Future Decisions on a pioneering digital twin project for the Ministry of Justice. The trial took place at HMP Five Wells, a category C resettlement prison located in Northamptonshire. This project is the first of its kind in the public sector and aims to serve as a model for improving efficiency across the wider MOJ estate and will also influence the wider public sector estate.

The digital twin is a combination of Glider’s AIM CDE, gliderbim®, which forms an Asset Twin that is used to structure data, and connect to a Performance Twin. The Performance Twin identifies issues or opportunities and the Asset Twin (gliderbim®) serves as the instruction manual on how to address them. This enables a continual improvement process.

Objectives and phases

The MOJ estate is the second largest government estate in the UK with an average annual energy bill of £100m. This project presented an opportunity to enhance the MoJ estate’s energy efficiency using digital twin technology. The goal was to help reduce energy bills and contribute to net zero targets. Phase one started in March 2023. It involved creating a digital twin for one housing block to establish a data baseline. This phase focused on collecting data on temperature, carbon dioxide levels and humidity, enabling operators to make energy-saving adjustments.

The resulting data model was then used to highlight anomalies and create opportunities to reduce carbon and energy use by optimising equipment and utilities scheduling. These ‘insights’ are generated by the Performance Twin and actions by the Asset Twin within the digital twin platform.

Glider’s role

Throughout the construction of HMP Five Wells, Glider was responsible for collecting comprehensive asset information. This included gathering and verifying data against very comprehensive and strict Asset Information Requirements to ensure a complete and accurate digital handover at practical completion.

Glider delivered an Asset Information Model that was 100% complete and compliant. This model is then used to structure performance data generated by operational technology within the prison.

Glider then developed the concept of the digital twin interface and how it would function, developing use cases that contributed to the design. Working with Kier and Future Decisions, we positioned our platform, gliderbim®, as the primary interface to accessing both asset data and performance data.

gliderbim® forms an essential component in the resulting digital twin and will continue to be used as a foundational element that enables future phases on other housing blocks within Five Wells and other prisons within the MOJ estate.

Key findings

During the first phase, the project gathered significant insights into how usage of certain facilities and utilities can be optimised. By creating a data model of usage behaviours, utilities such as heating, cooling and hot water can be scheduled more efficiently. For example, temperature sensors can better estimate latent heat generation by the building, allowing the heating to be turned off before the building overheats. Other findings included maintaining better air quality and optimising water heating schedules.

The first phase’s findings demonstrated a potential 20% energy saving and a 198 Kg reduction in carbon emissions per occupant.

Phase two and beyond

With the successful completion of phase one, phase two will involve investing in physical hardware upgrades to enhance data collection and building control. We’ll also be putting these ‘insights’ into action so we can measure their success and further optimise. The implementation is still a manual process. People need to acknowledge the insight from the Performance Twin and use the Asset Twin as a reference in making physical changes to the settings of key mechanical components.

In future phases however, with a direct connection to the building management system (BMS), the digital twin could become self-serving and enact the actions itself.

The ultimate goal is to integrate digital twins into both new builds and legacy assets, demonstrating their potential across the entire public sector estate. Glider is already involved in two additional pilots within the MOJ prison estate.

Blueprint for the future

The lessons learned at HMP Five Wells have broader implications beyond the prison sector. Digital twins could bring similar benefits to other public sector assets like schools and hospitals. For example, controlling temperature and carbon dioxide levels could improve students’ productivity in classrooms.

The government’s Transforming Infrastructure Performance Roadmap to 2030 underscores their commitment to rolling out digital twins across the public sector. The HMP Five Wells pathfinder project is a critical part of these objectives. It serves as a blueprint for other prisons and government departments to achieve net zero through digital twins.

Conclusion

The digital twin project at HMP Five Wells sets a new benchmark for the industry. It showcases the potential of digital twins to optimise building operations, reduce energy consumption and improve conditions for occupants. This collaboration between Kier, MoJ, Future Decisions and Glider exemplifies how cutting-edge technology can drive sustainability and efficiency across the public sector.

Additional resources

To find out more about digital twins, check out the webinar on demand ‘Lifting the Lid on Digital Twins: Going Beyond Data Visuals’.