Working with Architects and M&E Consultants to Meet Secure Facility Standards

Designing and delivering heating systems for secure environments demands collaboration. For architects and M&E consultants, every project must balance aesthetics, compliance, safety, and practicality, while also addressing the unique risks found in prisons, safer cells, custody suites, and other high-risk facilities.

At Contour, we understand that specification support is as important as the product itself. The DeepClean Extra+ anti-ligature radiator, the first of its kind to achieve MoJ approval for safer cells, was developed with close consultation from sector specialists and is designed to help specifiers meet the highest custodial standards with confidence.

The Specifier's Challenge

Architects and M&E consultants working in the justice sector face a unique set of pressures:

• Regulatory compliance with MoJ standards, such as STD/X/SPEC/063.
• Balancing safety with practicality, ensuring designs are secure yet maintainable.
• Ensuring hygiene and infection control in high-use environments.
• Meeting budget constraints without compromising safety.
• Supporting estates teams with designs that are realistic to maintain.

Heating systems sit at the heart of these challenges. Standard radiators cannot meet the requirements of safer cells or high-risk environments.

How Collaboration Delivers Results

Contour has developed a collaborative approach that helps architects and consultants integrate heating solutions into their designs without compromising on safety or compliance.

This includes:

• Design workshops early in the project to flag ligature risks and cleaning access needs.
• Product data sheets and CAD models to integrate easily into designs.
• Guidance on coatings, fixings, and sealing based on the specific environment.
• Clear documentation to support approval processes and client sign-off.

By working alongside design teams, we ensure the heating element of a secure facility project is robust, compliant, and aligned with wider architectural goals.

The Role of MoJ Approval

The MoJ’s approval of the DeepClean Extra+ radiator provides specifiers with additional reassurance. It confirms the product has undergone destruction testing, tamper resistance trials, and hygiene assessment against the toughest safer cell standards.

For architects and consultants, this approval means:

• A trusted, pre-approved solution for safer cell heating.
• Confidence in meeting compliance requirements.
• Reduced project risk at client review stage.

(MoJ approval applies to safer cells up to 1200mm x 960mm x 260mm. Larger units are available but must be signed off at local level.)

Beyond Safer Cells

While MoJ approval is specific to safer cells, the same principles apply across the secure estate.

By specifying the DeepClean Extra+, architects and M&E consultants can deliver safer heating in:

• Young Offender Institutions (YOIs)
• Police custody suites
• 136 mental health assessment suites
• Immigration detention centres
• Pupil Referral Units (PRUs)

This consistency simplifies specification across multiple secure projects.

Are You an Architect or M&E Consultant Working on Secure Facilities?

The MoJ-approved DeepClean Extra+ radiator is designed to help you meet compliance requirements, reduce risk, and support estates teams with practical, durable solutions.

📞 Call us on 01952 290498
📧 Email sales@contourheating.co.uk
🌐 Find out more about the DeepClean Extra+