TABLE OF CONTENTS Elizabeth J. Heider, AIA
Vice President, Skanska USA Building Inc.
Alexandria, Virginia
There is no such thing as absolute value in this world. You can only estimate what a thing is worth to you.
CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER (1829 1950)
U.S. editor and essayist
Construction costs, and premiums involved for security design, are of primary concern to owners, design professionals, and builders. After risk analysis and vulnerability assessments are conducted, and security related design and construction recommendations are identified, building owners must ensure that their project goals and budgets will be met. To maximize budget control, security design recommendations should be defined and evaluated during early project phases.
Hardening of buildings, and related security needs, often result in added costs for new construction and retrofit projects. Security-related costs address the elements needed to secure a building from specific terrorist threats, such as blast, and chemical or biological agents, since projects must comply with applicable building and life safety codes. A standardized approach to identifying and estimating security design elements allows building owners to determine the level of risk they wish to assume, and closely monitor construction costs.
For public projects, especially federal government facilities, fixed capital construction budgets are often determined by long-range legislative appropriations. These fixed budgets essentially determine security risk levels a building project will be designed to sustain. Within this framework, the project team must identify...
