SECURITY
THE SUCCESSFUL SPECIFICATION OF ANTI-TERRORISM SOLUTIONS Professionals involved in the planning, design and ongoing management of public spaces and streetscapes must consider and address a number of factors when looking at site security and safety. Here, Mark Lester of Hörmann UK, explores the key issues and the solutions available to help mitigate against potential terrorist threats, without altering the overall landscape. HÖRMANN UK
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s crowded places remain an attractive target for terrorists, architects and specifiers have an increasing challenge to successfully blend counter-terrorism protective security measures with the urban design principles of the public space they’re creating. Within the Government’s ‘Protecting Crowded Places: Design and Technical Issues’ guide, it provides those involved in the development and maintenance of the built environment with a comprehensive basis for the appropriate specification of anti-terrorism solutions. The document offers advice and guidance on how high design quality can be upheld throughout the commissioning and planning of new development schemes, without impacting on the overall style and intention of the place in question. Using this guide as a basis, professionals should first understand the varying circumstances and associated degrees of risk that each project presents, before looking to specify solutions that aim to reduce the vulnerability of the location from a terrorism perspective.
FC&A – JULY – 2020
For many public spaces, its crowd density may be temporary. In this instance, a specifier will be responsible for locations housing concerts or events that do not have a constant level of visitors, rather than one that is concentrated at peak times. Here, the specification of temporary anti-terrorism solutions presents an appealing approach as the desired attraction of the space can easily be retained, without compromising the safety and security of the environment during high footfall periods. One of the main benefits of temporary anti-terrorism systems that are designed to specifically manage hostile vehicle mitigation is that they offer the potential for continued flexibility, particularly when compared to fixed systems that must be permanently installed. As the very nature of temporary systems lends their application to a wide range of configurations that can be transported to different areas of the location, the evolving requirements of the environment can continue to be met, without impacting on the level of security and safety provided. 28
By first assessing the potential levels of security risk the space presents, professionals can then understand the integrity of the protective technologies required. Here, temporary systems, such as certified single units, enable professionals to successfully meet the exact levels of integrity needed, as the quantity and configuration is tailored to the individual project and its level of risk. For example, mobile vehicle blockers that are certified as a single unit can provide effective protection against unauthorised vehicles, without restricting pedestrian access or altering the intention and accessibility of the urban public space. As the solutions are temporary, consideration of the subsurface and the materials specified do not need to be addressed, as no physical fixings are required to keep the blockers in place.
