Protective-design elements, a top priority

The Sept. 11, attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon five years ago changed the way many architects and owners thought about building design, placing protective measures high on the list of design priorities.

“Organizations that consistently require blast-resistant glazing are the federal government, the Department of Defense and some Department of State buildings,” says Hollice Stone, director of New York operations for Hinman Consulting Engineers in New York City. “But since Sept. 11, private companies, airports, other state and local agencies are also looking at protective design.”

Since the attacks, new guidelines have been developed for tall building designs that improve emergency evacuation, including those outlined in a report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Md.

Local jurisdictions have also gotten involved, including the Fire Department of New York that issued a mandate requiring tall building owners to submit emergency action plans by Aug. 31. 

Stone predicts that protective glazing in non-government buildings will only become more mainstream. “I liken protected buildings to the car industry,” she says. “In 1960s, if there was seat belt in a car, that was a big deal. It’s the same thing in building industry. Today, buildings—outside of government—with protective glazing are rare, they’re the Cadillacs of industry. But in the future, laminated glass and other protective measures are going to become much more common.”