New legislation in the form of Martyn’s Law means that organisations which operate venues and locations where people gather will have a duty to prevent terrorist attacks. Mark Stone from Securiscape discusses the architect’s role in the UK’s ongoing campaign to keep the population safe
Six years on from the devastating bomb attack which killed 22 people attending an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena, the law regarding ways to make venues safer has taken another step forward.
Named Martyn’s Law after one of the victims of the arena bombing, Martyn Hett, the ruling has reached draft legislation stage, a step that was marked recently at the Crisis Management in High Rise and Complex Buildings event on May 18.
The legislation, which will become the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, is being introduced in order to place the burden of making venues – where members of the public gather – safe on its owners and operators, in the same way that they need to take responsibility for fire safety and health and safety.
Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill
The new Bill, which is expected to be introduced next spring, and which will affect venues including shopping centres, stadiums, music venues, bars and public spaces, will change this.
It will introduce a three-tier system and a range of requirements for operators and local authorities encompassing everything from training security staff to better spot potential terrorists before they launch their deadly attacks, to ensuring staff are wearing body cams.
The emphasis will also be on processes rather than ‘bollards and gates,’ but venues will still need to consider creating a first line of defence by installing equipment and products that will prevent a potential terrorist reaching the area where people are gathered in the first place, requiring them to work in conjunction with security advisors to assess their premises and identify possible vulnerabilities.
The architect’s role
This is where architects come in, because of the need for the function to fit the form. While defences can take many forms – such as concrete blocks or rows of bollards – their task will be to ensure that whatever perimeter security is applied does not detract from their overall design or make the exterior of the building resemble a fortress.
They will need to consider how a potential terrorist attack might be mounted in the first place – whether by a lone individual travelling on foot or in a vehicle – and imagine the route they might take, their ability to climb over or dodge past defences in order to reach their target.
And they need to know which products are capable of mounting a defence if called into action – what constitutes a reasonable performance and how to know whether an installation that might look good is suitable for helping to save lives.
It is most likely architects will need to include defences in the design that can prevent vehicles, such as those used to carry incendiary devices or to deliberately target people, from getting too close to an entrance way or to an area where people are gathering.
Thankfully, help is at hand, including via ProtectUK, a police initiative launched last year to create a hub whereby business owners, security industry representatives and members of the public can stay up to date with the latest news, advice and training.
Hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) devices
Alternatively, the UK’s perimeter security products manufacturers are also able to offer advice, along with the devices which have been rigorously tested to ensure they satisfy performance and aesthetics.
These are known as hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) devices and include fencing, bollards, street planters and other often ingeniously designed products which can create a ring of steel, either as part of a new build or by fitting them retrospectively.
Key to understanding their capability is understanding the PAS 68 and IWA-14 rating systems, which indicates how the products behave in test conditions in terms of the weight of the vehicle they were required to stand up against and the speed that it was travelling at.
All products are judged on their ability to withstand such collisions, including the distance that the vehicle was able to proceed beyond the point at which it came into contact with the device in question.
The PAS and IWA ratings are, in essence, different, but there are many similarities and, in practice, many manufacturers have turned to the IWA 14-1:2013 (International Workshop Agreement) for classification, since it is a global standard that combines elements of the original (British) PAS system and the American standard ASTM.
There are a number of different classifications available under the IWA system, incorporating nine different types of vehicles (including pick-ups and flat-bed trucks), different speeds from 20 mph upwards, the angle of impact – most commonly 90° – and the distance it penetrated beyond the leading edge of the device.
All of this information is included in the precise rating, which you will find on suppliers’ websites, so that, for example, a security bollard whose rating is declared as IWA 14-1:2013 V/1500(M1)/64/90:0.6 has been successfully tested against a 1.5 tonne passenger vehicle (M1) travelling at 64kph and at an angle of 90°, allowing a penetration of just 0.6 mm.
Such is the performance you can expect from a security bollard, but there is a whole range of products available with similar capabilities, including products which can be retrofitted into pavements and have shallow footings, ensuring they do not disturb underground services.
And then there is security fencing which can be fitted onto bridges – which is a challenge because of the depth of footings needed to ensure the products can withstand a collision – and which can be fitted with period designs to blend in with the surroundings.
In conclusion
Martyn’s Law means that architects have a role to play in providing well-designed protection schemes.
But arguably, their role in this campaign goes further, because while the legislation will usher in a new era of safety, the peace of mind it will bring will be meaningless if it makes members of the public feel like they are under attack.
Sensitive urban design, incorporating the latest products capable of withstanding vehicle-borne attacks, will more than play its part when Martyn’s Law comes into play by ensuring going out for a meal or a gig remains a pleasant and carefree experience while those who wish to do us harm are kept at bay.
Mark Stone is managing director at Securiscape