p rot e ct i v e d e s i g n & s e c u r i t y
PROTECTIVE DESIGN & SECURITY We help architects, owners, developers and public agencies achieve security objectives while upholding each project’s aesthetic, functional and budgetary goals. A recognized leader in protective design and security services – with more than 60 years of experience – we collaborate with clients and project teams to develop comprehensive physical, electronic and operational security solutions for facilities of every type, use and size.
ALWAYS INNOVATING We pursue innovation in both our services and our methods. Extending our offerings beyond blast hardening into security design and consulting services (SDC) allows us to deliver truly holistic solutions. Our SDC team employs advanced data analytics, biometrics and sensing technologies, and other leading-edge tools to identify, prevent and mitigate the effects of ever-evolving threats. We use the best-available tools to accurately predict the complex behavior of building materials impacted by high-explosive waves, mine data and analyze threat risks. And when commercially available tools don’t do the job well enough, we work with the firm’s CORE studio and Applied Science specialists to develop new applications.
p rot e ct i v e d e s i g n & s e c u r i t y
WHAT WE DO We assess vulnerability to multiple hazards and provide balanced mitigation strategies. We work with project stakeholders to evaluate options, determine appropriate performance targets and craft holistic solutions that minimize risk. BLAST ANALYSIS & DESIGN We design comprehensive solutions to mitigate the effects of bomb attacks against all types of structures. We determine how an attack would affect a facility and use nonlinear, inelastic dynamic analysis methods to develop costeffective measures that provide protection without compromising aesthetic ideals. RISK ASSESSMENT We help clients make informed design decisions by conducting comprehensive risk assessments for facilities or client portfolios to identify critical assets, applicable threats and corresponding consequences. We then develop a menu of holistic solutions to mitigate identified risks, tailoring options to the project’s unique needs. We couple our risk assessment and engineering capabilities to guide our clients through the SAFETY Act certification process. DISPROPORTIONATE COLLAPSE PREVENTION We prevent disproportionate collapse by engineering structural elements to provide survivability, even with the loss of one or more key elements. We seek the most appropriate option for each project, meeting or exceeding security criteria while remaining sensitive to the building’s materials, geometry, construction budget, site constraints and architectural flexibility.
SECURITY DESIGN & CONSULTING Our security solutions protect the critical assets and investments of our clients. We use a variety of assessment methods to identify threats, vulnerabilities, and risks and implement seamless security and technology roadmaps that mitigate risk without distracting from primary business functions. Our team of proven experts – in counterterrorism, countertheft, electronic security, cybersecurity and physical security – customize solutions for any project in any environment. PERIMETER PROTECTION & SITE SECURITY Our engineers collaborate with building team partners to develop layers of protection that integrate seamlessly with a facility’s overall site planning, layout and architecture. We assist master planners with strategic site layout in accordance with CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design) principles, design anti-ram site architecture and assist in sitecirculation and parking planning to enhance asset protection. FAÇADE HARDENING We collaborate with design teams and façade contractors to develop customized systems that mitigate hazards from bomb blasts, firearms and unauthorized entry. We guide project stakeholders through an array of options to balance each project’s security requirements with its budgetary, environmental and aesthetic goals.
We provided protective design and structural services for the Santiago Calatravadesigned World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York City. Matthew Hill
HOW WE WORK STAKEHOLDER PRIORITIES ARE OUR PRIORITIES We collaborate with project stakeholders to achieve protective design solutions that uphold each project’s aesthetic and budgetary goals. We get involved early and communicate openly with all team members to fully integrate security measures into the overall design. Our goal? To craft “invisible shields” against potential threats for our clients. EDUCATING CLIENTS FOR BETTER OUTCOMES Structural and façade hardening can be expensive, so we take time to educate clients about the full range of available options. Once they understand the issues, we help clients determine appropriate performance targets and levels of protection. Only then do we work together to select the combination of design solutions best suited to each project. INVENTING NEW METHODS While the threat of terrorist attacks against buildings has increased in recent years, innovations in protective design and security strategies have greatly improved our ability to mitigate associated damage. We combine evolving analytical and engineering capabilities, state-ofthe-art materials and construction techniques, operational security measures, emerging security technologies, and lessons learned from our extensive experience to develop better, more cost-effective methods for increasing security and safety.
SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE We have unparalleled experience in protective design and security services for the U.S. and U.K. Governments. Areas of expertise include: EMBASSIES We have provided the U.S. Department of State’s Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) with structural and protective design engineering for hundreds of embassy facilities. After a 1983 carbomb attack in Beirut, we developed new guidelines for OBO. Our Engineering Guidelines for Design of New Office Buildings provided industry standards for improving the physical security of embassy compounds. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) We pioneered the analysis of DoD structures in response to blast and shock. Our advanced material models and specialized nonlinear finite-element methods are extensively validated against explosive test data. Our work has contributed to the DoD’s Unified Facilities Criteria. U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (GSA) FACILITIES After the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City, we co-authored the NIST Best Practices report on disproportionatecollapse prevention. We developed software to accurately analyze the performance of curtain wall systems in response to bomb-blast loading, and we helped develop GSA, Interagency Security Committee and Public Building Services criteria for security and the prevention of disproportionate collapse.
Courtesy Kieran Timberlake, rendering by Studio amd
We provided protective design and structural engineering services for the new U.S. Embassy in London.
U.K. MINISTRY OF DEFENCE (MOD) We have provided specialist security consulting to MoD on more than 100 projects over 30 years. Our experience includes master planning and design for new-build projects as well as blast upgrades, physical and electronic security improvements. We also helped the MoD develop more effective hostile vehicle mitigation standards.
THORNTON TOMASETTI OPTIMIZES THE DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE OF STRUCTURES, MATERIALS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROJECTS OF EVERY SIZE AND LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY. An employee-owned organization of engineers, scientists, architects and other professionals collaborating from offices worldwide, we support clients by drawing on the diverse expertise of our integrated practices. We are committed to being a sustainable and enduring organization and the global driver of innovation in our industry. INNOVATION AT OUR CORE
CORE is our innovation incubator, a vehicle for collaborating with project teams, academic institutions and other partners – in the AEC industry and beyond – to develop and market new technologies. CORE lab identifies and nurtures R&D projects – ranging from incremental to transformational – to create new capabilities, methods or products.
www.thorntontomasetti.com
CORE studio provides technology-focused expertise to all our practices, enhancing collaboration and responsiveness through a wide range of creative initiatives.