Designing for Counter Terrorism 6th October London RIBA offices 2011

In high profile buildings or crowded places that may be attractive targets for terrorists, the challenge for designers is to incorporate counter-terrorism (CT) measures into their buildings and public spaces whilst maintaining quality of place. Therefore the challenge and opportunity for architects and designers is to design in security features from the outset – when any additional cost will be minimal compared to retrofits and how they are integrated and look on site is still maintained by the design team.

 

Developing counter-terror protection regimes is seldom a straightforward process and when considering incorporation of CT measures, individual cases should be examined through calculated assessment of their particular merits and requirements. Each will invariably differ according to location and assessed threat. Whatever the need, embracing these differences can pose a challenge to designers, but may also provide a canvas for positive enterprise and innovative ideas to emerge. It is fundamentally this ideal of innovation in protection that underpins the aim and objectives of this design guide.