by Ron Romero of Materials Inc.
It's still on our minds these days: security. Even after the terrorism alert system has been dismantled, we sometimes wonder about our safety. We want to know we are safe and sound, but most of us don't want to live or work or go to events in something that looks like a bunker. We want "invisible security" -- the kind we don't have to see or think about. So the question is: How do we make protective measures feel like aesthetic architectural elements?
According to a recent article on terrorism and building security in the Wall Street Journal1, buildings are being designed today to accommodate security checkpoints and metal detectors, as well as other security components such as reinforced concrete around a building's core. But what about existing buildings? The creative solution lies in what designers call "transparent security" - barriers that are non-obtrusive and visually pleasing. For example, The Coliseum in Nashville, TN, used large outside concrete planters decorated with the logo of the Tennessee Titans to surround its entrance. Citigroup Center in midtown Manhattan installed 3-foot-tall decorative concrete bollards (posts), some of which will display art. Planters and posts made of precast concrete can effectively prevent a car or truck carrying explosives from smashing through plate glass doors and windows.
In assessing your building, think about reducing the speed of approaching vehicles by adding speed bumps in the road and protecting the building from ramming by installing barriers, planters or knee walls. Post 9-11, many states re-examined the security of their capitol buildings and chose to heighten their safety through the use of concrete: California placed 60 concrete planters around its capitol building as vehicle barriers, as did Connecticut. Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina and Texas added concrete barriers around their state capitols. The FBI placed concrete security structures around its building.
One way to increase security without compromising design is to integrate street furniture, including concrete signage, and spacing it so it acts as a vehicle barrier. The State Department in Washington, DC, added landscaped barrier-benches, a user-friendly solution. Vehicle, pedestrian and service entries can be protected with bollards and planters that have been designed with an artist's vision as well as an eye towards security.
MATERIALS, INC., one of the premier precast concrete manufacturers in New Mexico, is acutely aware of what can be done to bolster your security. They've installed concrete-filled outdoor planters in front of picture windows for residential customers wanting an extra-secure home, and installed planters and barrier posts outside office buildings. They can help you design attractive and practical ways to make your building safer. As the folks at MATERIALS, INC. say, "We still believe the only real security is peace, but in the meantime, we're glad there's concrete!"
>1. "The Aesthetics of Security" by Ray A. Smith, The Wall Street Journal, February 19, 2003
|
