Safety and securityThe essential objective of safety and security requirements is to protect the buildings assets (people, goods, information and equipment) and the building itself from harmful eventsranging from high-impact events such terrorism and natural disasters to more mundane incidents such as theft and vandalism. The starting point for the formulation of security requirements should be a risk assessment that identifies possible harmful events. The focus should be on events that have a high chance of occurrence and/or a high impact on the clients organization. The nature of these events will differ from project to project. In a museum theft will figure largely, in an airport bombings and in a school vandalism.The next step is to look at how such events can be avoided and thwarted, and how their impact can be mitigated. Generally, there are three types of measures to be considered: spatial measures (i.e. security zoning inside the building), technical measures (i.e. the use of security systems) and organizational measures (i.e. the use of security staff). The brief should explain the clients general view on these measures. Is the client aiming for high-tech solutions (e.g. biometric access systems) or will low-tech solutions suffice (e.g. a staffed reception desk)? Should security measures be hidden to maintain a sense of publicness, or should they be visible to act as a visual deterrent? Should the entire building have the same security level, or are there specific spaces that call for extra protection? In answering this last question, most briefs feature a description of the security zoning for the building. The entrance area, for example, may be designated a public zone (accessible for all); office areas may labelled operation zones (accessible to staff only); the buildings server room may be categorized as restricted zone (accessible to specific members of staff). In addition, the brief may outline technical requirements concerning the buildings security systems (access systems, alarm systems) and construction elements (faades, openings, the roof). As we have said before, the trick is to keep such requirements performance-oriented. Rather than asking for a specific kind of surveillance system, the client should detail what such a system should be able to do (e.g. recognize peoples faces and car registration plates).Strategic brief-Make a risk analysis of the project (events/likelihood of occurrence/impact).-Identify building users or assets that require specific security measures.-Consider relation between security and other desired qualities such as accessibility.Functional brief-Identify security zones and the associated levels of access and security (e.g. public/semi-public/private).-Look at the location of functions within the building, such as their adjacency to the street (e.g. in relation to bombings and break-in). Technical brief-Formulate requirements for security systems (detection/surveillance/alarm/ access).-Formulate requirements for building components (perimeter/faade/interior separations between zones).