I noticed this article today, about how securiy threats effect architecure, and especially the long term effects on the people who use these building everyday. This has been on my mind a lot lately because they have recently been removing many of the cement barriers put up after 9/111 here in NYC. I always felt the barriers were useless from a security standpoint, aqnd hideous, no matter how many plants you put in them.
this decade is in danger of being remembered as the golden age of the bollard.
it's a hot topic in landscape architecture, that's for sure. but there are ways of handling site security that don't ignore aesthetics. of course Laurie Olin has done a lot of work in this area, notably with the redesign of the landscape for the washington monument.
it's interesting to note that the "ha-ha", the landscape barrier used by eighteenth century gentlemen to keep the livestock away from the house without having ugly fences in their vistas, has been resurrected for security purposes, considering the idea originally came from pre-18th century fortification techniques. so it's come full circle.
there was a nice writeup on the seattle federal courthouse landscape (peter walker) in the 8/05 landscape architecture magazine, unfortunately not available online. seating, trees, water features, all double as barriers without screaming "barrier" and in fact making the area around the building more inviting.
and just imagine! the client can't 'value engineer' your trees down to tiny sprouts! "gotta have at least 8" caliper, dude, think of the TRUCK BOMBS!"
Oct 21, 06 10:11 am ·
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Short Sighted Security and Architecture
I noticed this article today, about how securiy threats effect architecure, and especially the long term effects on the people who use these building everyday. This has been on my mind a lot lately because they have recently been removing many of the cement barriers put up after 9/111 here in NYC. I always felt the barriers were useless from a security standpoint, aqnd hideous, no matter how many plants you put in them.
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/10/architecture_an.html
this decade is in danger of being remembered as the golden age of the bollard.
it's a hot topic in landscape architecture, that's for sure. but there are ways of handling site security that don't ignore aesthetics. of course Laurie Olin has done a lot of work in this area, notably with the redesign of the landscape for the washington monument.
http://www.asla.org/land/2006/0410/olin.html
it's interesting to note that the "ha-ha", the landscape barrier used by eighteenth century gentlemen to keep the livestock away from the house without having ugly fences in their vistas, has been resurrected for security purposes, considering the idea originally came from pre-18th century fortification techniques. so it's come full circle.
there was a nice writeup on the seattle federal courthouse landscape (peter walker) in the 8/05 landscape architecture magazine, unfortunately not available online. seating, trees, water features, all double as barriers without screaming "barrier" and in fact making the area around the building more inviting.
and just imagine! the client can't 'value engineer' your trees down to tiny sprouts! "gotta have at least 8" caliper, dude, think of the TRUCK BOMBS!"
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