Building components like glass, glazing, and even opaque assemblies can be subjected to forces from man-made events that require protection and security. At the same time, architects and interior designers don’t want a purely industrial or harsh appearance to be the dominant feature of that protection. Rather, the goal is to find a solution that respects the overall design of a building while still providing the ability to be protected and resilient. This is particularly true where blast protection is part of the building design criteria as is the case in many government buildings and other public facilities. Recognizing these concerns as a design issue is the first step in determining an appropriate design response. Therefore, in this course, some of the basic issues of different degrees of security related to different building situations are reviewed. Then, some specific strategies are explored using protective, coiled wire fabric as a design solution to create buildings that can remain resilient in the face of identified security threats and challenges.

Photo @Fred Golden

The El Paso Federal Courthouse in Texas used coiled wire fabric to provide the required blast protection with an attractive, light shading solution for the building designed by Antoine Predock Architect.