Greater input from end users/occupiers into design process is crucial if resilient design outcomes, in line with Government’s security of crowded places initiatives, are to be fully realised, says expert, Mark Whyte, Director of Security Consultancy and Explosion Effects for TPS (part of Carillion plc)
The specification of counter terrorism measures in the design, procurement and operation of corporate real estate was addressed by TPS at this year’s Counter Terror Expo, which took place at Olympia, London, on the 19th and 20th of April. As a leading expert in the field, Mark Whyte, posed a series of important questions to architectural, construction and security professionals, that asked who should lead the specification and implementation of resilient design in the context of terrorism; what the role of Government initiatives directed at architects and developers was exactly; and what would happen if real estate occupiers did not specify or were unable to specify the resilience requirements they feel may be necessary.
Whyte placed emphasis on the function of the construction sector as a whole and the role that individual players will perform in delivering the Government’s intended outcomes. He also suggested that more attention must be paid to the role of the end users/occupiers in achieving resilient design outcomes and how they might better inform developers, designers and asset owners on the requirements.
Whyte’s knowledge of this field makes his thoughts and ideas an authoritative force. His belief that developers, designers and asset owners will be unlikely to follow non-mandatory Government sponsored ‘good practice’, unless a competitive advantage can be gained by building in resilience, or if legal liability might arise by ignoring it, suggests that there is still much to be done in regards to strengthen the measures discussed.