Written by Iain Moran, director at ATG Access, the world’s leading innovator of road blockers, bollards and barriers.
Over the years, hostile vehicle attacks, wherein the perpretator deliberately rams a vehicle into a building or crowd of people, have become an increasingly frequent means of targeting the public. This is largely because these attacks, which take relatively little skill or resources to carry out, are seen as a way to cause significant damage while being hard to detect and prevent.
Given that vehicle ramming attacks largely take place in heavily-populated public spaces, they can – and do – cause significant civilian casualties, meaning that external perimeter protection is taking on an ever-greater importance. However, retrofitting appropriate physical security solutions around existing developments without causing unnecessary disruption to the building or its inhabitants has been a recurrent issue for architects, specifiers and security professionals alike.
That said, new technologies are emerging which mean that this does not necessarily need be the case.
Temporary barriers
Perhaps the most obvious remedy to the above issue is security solutions that can be implemented and removed whenever needed. This is particularly useful for developments that attract higher levels of footfall on certain days, such as football stadiums or outdoor events spaces.
Temporary security products can provide comprehensive, immediate protection without compromising on robustness. Indeed, some surface-mounted barriers can now stop vehicles as heavy as 7,200kg travelling up to 20mph. These solutions can be specified in a number of different contexts, such as in place of permanent solutions while they’re being planned or installed.
Shallow-mount bollards
Traditionally, impact-tested physical security products required deep foundations, which in turn necessitated a great deal of heavy machinery and a lengthy, naturally disruptive installation process. However, shallow-mount technology is a pertinent example of a related area of physical security that has seen tremendous strides in recent years.
Indeed, shallow-mount bollards now require a foundation depth as little as 112mm, meaning they can be installed far more quickly – roughly one to two hours per bollard – than more traditional equivalents. Due to the relative lack of disruption they cause, these shallow-mount solutions can be particularly well-suited to buildings that need to remain open all hours of the day, such as hospitals.
Balancing form with functionality
Finally, it’s important to consider how retrofitted solutions blend into the built environment around them. This is important because, if the security solutions specified are perceived as excessive, it may create an oppressive “fortress mentality” around the space and promote a culture of fear. This applies particularly strongly to developments such as hotels, where inhabitants want to feel safe without intimidating security solutions ruining their stay.
Instead, security solutions can now be incorporated directly into specially-modified, crash-tested street furniture, using bespoke “sleeves” to transform traditional bollards and barriers into planters, benches and even handrails, creating more subtle security solutions which blend seamlessly into the built environment around them without sacrificing functionality.
Tragically, it seems that hostile vehicle attacks are a threat that we are now forced to consider, meaning it’s more important than ever to plan how public spaces can be protected. While security solutions being considered a crucial design element from the outset is ideal, this will be impossible for many long-standing developments. An awareness of how security solutions can be retrofitted into the built environment is therefore crucial to keeping the built environment and those who inhabit it safe in the years to come.
