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Virginia Tech

Security through Design in the Public Environment

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The following thesis project is an investigation in the topic of security through design. The study sought a site and program susceptible to attack in the public environment in order to design an appropriate response to the inherent tension from those attributes. The work represents an architectural reaction to the engineered assessments and solutions that permeate the post 9/11 world. The seemingly indiscriminate deployment of bollards, planters, and jersey barriers choke the representation of openness and freedom as well as the perception of safety from contemporary cities and buildings. My personal design approach attempts to re-present a constraint through the experience of a user to celebrate the inherent potential of that perceived limitation. The presented solution has embraced security and other "limiting" considerations in the dialogue of design beyond base utilitarian functions. Acknowledging "security through design" solutions in this context requires consideration of various building archetypes and particular sites as independent design variables. The vehicle for this research was found as an institute to counter terrorism located in the Washington D.C. region.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Architecture
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Architecture
Department dc:contributor.department
Architecture
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2015

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Noonan, Daniel Richard
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Emmons, Paul F.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Becker, Melinda Humphry
  • Feuerstein, Marcia F.

Subjects

dc:subject × 4

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:293
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/51592

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Noonan, Daniel Richard. Security through Design in the Public Environment. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/51592