Designing out Crime – Security Integrating with Architects

Designing Out Crime, CPTED, Secured by Design, SAFE Design – What does this all mean for the security consultant? And how does the security consultant properly add value to the design process.

Here at Lions Gate, we understand design and security. Our security consultants have over 20 years of working with architects, planners, developers, landscape designers, and interior designers, to design buildings and facilities that exhibit fewer criminogenic features and incorporate measured community safety enhancements.

We were specifically selected by the SAFE Design Council to be the first accredited firm to provide SAFE Design Consulting services based on our exceptional leadership, impeccable national reputation, and unique professional capacity. We are an independent entity authorized as an exclusive representative for the SAFE Design Companies applying the SAFE Design Standard® with respect to the security sector within Canada and the United States.

We assemble our Designing Out Crime Consultancy Group once we have established the specific needs of our client. In most cases we will draw from security risk assessors, intelligence analysts, design professionals, technical advisors, threat specialists, and other partners with cultural sensitivities in mind. This approach enables us to better understand the complex world of our clients and their community.

The added value we collectively bring to the design process is the breadth of knowledge, skills and multi-disciplinary abilities we have in our team.

Pre-Design Phase (PD)

There are normally five phases of design. For the Lions Gate Designing Out Crime Consultancy Group, there is an added pre-design or feasibility study phase which precedes each of the others. This is before a building is designed and will include preliminary research on the property owners’ part and possibly the architect if they have been engaged at this point. This to provide a community context and to support the viability of the build location. As a percentage of time to task, the pre-design or feasibility study phase takes approximately 10% of the overall project. What we address during this phase is:

How the impact of the development affects the local community
How the local community affects the development
How the user community interacts with the development
Ensuring security concepts enable functionality, minimize imposition, preserve aesthetic
Early research into municipal, provincial, federal security standards to establish compliance levels
Establishing a baseline for security standards through outcome requirement specifications
Liaison with local law enforcement
Conducting specialized intelligence research to bring proportionality to security and to incorporate security escalation measures, through policy and procedures, emergency response plans.

Schematic Design Phase (SD)

The basic goal of schematic design is to establish the shape and size of the building with some basic plans of the spaces. During the schematic design phase, we figure out more or less how the building will look and operate, with security and safety in mind. As a percentage of time to task, the schematic design phase takes approximately 15% of the overall project. What we address during this phase is:

The impact of placement on security, what goes where, lighting, landscaping, video surveillance, etc. Conducting an ‘operational requirement’ to bring a balance to the security provision that is aligned to threat levels and overlaying this on the design.
How the buildings and uses within will operate in a complementary way
Resolving placement conflicts
Influencing the overall site layout to mitigate security incidents
Road layouts, traffic calming, chicanes, planters, bollards, etc.
Already balancing physical, human, and technological components in the overall security solution.
Continuing to conduct specialized intelligence research to ensure currency and bring proportionality to security and to incorporate security escalation measures, through policy and procedures, emergency response plans.

Design Development Phase (DD)

In Design Development the architect and owner will work together to select materials including interior finishes and products such as windows. doors, fixtures, appliances, and materials. The architect will revise the drawings with more specificity and detail than in Schematic Design. Engineering will comment on the structure, plumbing, electrical, heating/ventilation systems, energy analysis and any other project-specific systems. The security consultant will comment on security components. At the end of design development, a good deal of product selection and systems design should be progressing. This phase concludes when the interior and exterior design of the building is locked in by the owner and architect. As a percentage of time to task, the pre-design or feasibility study phase takes approximately 15% of the overall project. What we address during this phase is:

Where the emphasis during schematic design is on communal spaces this changes during design development
Interior design security involves a good deal of product selection and placement which aligns with proposed space use and space relationships within the building and wider community.
For doors alone, micro details such as door construction/core, hinge placement, lock types, door frame integrity are addressed.
All security products and placement will be defined at this time for incorporation into broader plans and drawings.
We begin writing the outcome requirement specifications for the contractors who will be involved in structural and physical security controls and technologies.
We continue to conduct specialized intelligence research to ensure currency and bring proportionality to security and to incorporate security escalation measures, through policy and procedures, emergency response plans.

Construction Documents Phase (CD)

In the construction document phase the architect and engineers finalize all the technical design and engineering including structural engineering and detailing, heating air conditioning and ventilation systems, plumbing, electrical, gas, energy calculations, and all products and materials are selected and scheduled. The security consultant dedicates the most time to task in this phase at 45%. It is the most complex phase and finalizes the security components in the design. The architect produces multiple drawing sets, incorporating the agreed security placements, adjustments, standards, structural and physical measures, and control technologies, including a filing set for approval from the Department of Buildings and a separate set of Construction Drawings.

We provide a security overview to inform the finalized technical design, engineering, structural engineering, civil works, landscaping design and detailing across all drawings to determine whether there are any security vulnerabilities in the design that should be addressed.
Where there is no flexibility to adopt security recommendations as presented, we then balance and layer security in the overall design to mitigate.
Security will always need to find compromises for code requirements, fire regulations, other requirements.
We complete the outcome requirement specifications for the contractors who will be involved in structural and physical security, electronic security and human security resourcing to support the contractor bidding criteria.
We conduct the final specialized intelligence research during the construction documents phase to ensure that at the time there is proportionality to security and that security escalation measures, policy and procedures, and emergency response plans are aligned.

Bidding Phase

The selection of security contractors to implement or integrate physical, human and electronic security components will be based around outcome requirement specifications. This is not to be confused with technical specifications. The time to task for this phase is 5%.

The outcome requirements assembled during the construction documents phase will detail a performance level, which the contractor must commit to deliver.
Prior to installation or equipment purchase, security staffing selection, physical security provision, the technical specifications will be provided to the security consultant for review.
The installer or integrator may be required to demonstrate capability to meet the outcome requirements specification.
The security consultant will provide the construction project team with contractor options for consideration, who have demonstrated they will meet the criteria.

Construction Administration Phase (CA)

The Construction Administration phase is the final and longest phase and accounts for approximately 15% of the overall time to task for the security consultant. The security consultant will periodically visit the job site to see progress and ensure the contractor is following the plans. Any exceptions will be advised immediately to the Construction Project Team Lead for action. During this phase it is not uncommon that some additional services for the architect arise due to change orders.The security consultant stays on the project until the building is completed, final inspections are all completed, and the owner obtains a Certificate of Occupancy and any other certificates required for operation and use of the building. Time to task 10%.

Ensuring the contractors are following the plans meeting the security criteria
Accommodating additional services in the overall security context
Conducting periodical inspections on site to confirm compliance
Providing the client with comprehensive compliance feedback post audits