Architectural Design Research: Integrating Security in the Public Realm
This project addresses the challenge of using building design to improve security in soft targets and crowded places without turning the location into a “hard target”, fortified with oppressive security measures. This research aims to enhance human safety while preserving open and welcoming environments by identifying cost-effective and humane design strategies inherent to the design of public places. The primary objective is to develop new protocols for the physical assessment and design of safer public spaces, such as schools or transportation hubs. The developed guidelines will help building designers and managers make smart decisions about design—using the layout of a space to allow or inhibit movement and designing for visibility by people and sensors— to make the space less vulnerable to threats without making them closed off or feel intimidating.