Access Control
& Security Systems

The Sept. 11 tragedy at the World Trade Center in New York is heightening attention on security for the nation's skyscrapers.

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which met Oct. 15 in Chicago, concluded it is not practical to design any building to withstand the maliciously directed impact of a large fuel-laden aircraft. It also noted the buildings in the World Trade Center attack withstood a tremendous blow, allowing more than 20,000 people to evacuate.

"It is important to understand that the attack on the World Trade Center was not about tall buildings, it was about terrorism," said a statement from the task force, which is made up of 24 industry officials from structural engineering to electrical engineering, vertical transportation, fire protection and safety, building owners and developers, building control systems and building security sectors.

Overall, tall buildings have excellent safety records. The task force is exploring several safety themes to increase security and awareness in the event of another such tragedy:

-- Egress strategies. Developing updated standards containing varied approaches of egress processes, systems, shelters, stairwells and elevators is vital to increasing awareness, understanding and probability to exit a building.

-- Multiple redundant building systems. Systems should be designed with multiple sources and independent distribution routes to better withstand disruptions caused by extreme events.

-- Integrated systems. There are numerous systems inside and outside a building that, if integrated, could provide on-site and remote information about the building and its occupants to the appropriate authorities. These systems measure, monitor and control a building and the environment of the occupants. Specific systems include structure and infrastructure, electrical, security, building management and utility management.

-- Performance-based design. Building codes are required for the built environment. The task force is exploring the potential for adding the function of performance-based design of buildings so those involved with designing, building and operating buildings can match the overall building design with the building’s purpose.

-- Education. Safety procedures are regularly explained on airplanes and in schools. As the built environment includes many more applications, guidelines to better educate building management on safety procedures, decision-making and communicating during an emergency should be established.

-- Research. The task force will be making recommendations for research on the built environment and will serve as a global advisory panel for all aspects relative to overall building safety.

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