Book Description

The text provides guidance to the building science community of architects and engineers, to reduce physical damage to buildings, related infrastructure, and people caused by terrorist assaults. It presents incremental approaches that can be implemented over time to decrease the vulnerability of buildings to terrorist threats. Many of the recommendations can be implemented quickly and cost-effectively. The manual contains many how-to aspects based upon current information contained in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, General Services Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and other publications. It describes a threat assessment methodology and presents a Building Vulnerability Assessment Checklist to support the assessment process. It also discusses architectural and engineering design considerations, standoff distances, explosive blast, and chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) information. The appendices includes a glossary of CBR definitions as well as general definitions of key terminologies used in the building science security area. The appendices also describe design considerations for electronic security systems and provide a listing of associations and organizations currently working in the building science security area.