Project Background
A global construction management company, employed on a mixed-use development in the United Arab Emirates, engaged Gulf Security Services to provide security design and planning services. The development, consisting of a media zone, offices and retail outlets, had a clear vision, encouraging tenants and authorised visitors to circulate and enjoy the provided spaces.
Project Approach
A great deal of emphasis was placed on providing a design which supported a safe and secure environment with security as a natural outcome of the design while supporting the developments intent. However, consideration had to be given to very specific security requirements directed from stakeholders and national security agencies which had to be implemented. It was clear that in order to meet these requirements GSS would need to work as an integral part of the overall design team.
A key GSS deliverable within the concept design phase was a Security Risk Assessment. The methodology applied the following path:
- Establish Context. Key to this was to understand the environment in which the project would operate and to discover any issues that might impact the approach taken for security.
- Risk Identification. Determining what risks or hazards exist or are anticipated, their characteristics, timeline, duration period and possible consequences.
- Risk Assessment. Evaluate the impact and value of potential project risks.
- Risk Evaluation. The determination of risk management priorities.
- Risk Treatment. Provide suggested controls to manage identified risks in accordance with strategies and budgets.
The risk assessment results provided decision makers with sufficient information to justify increasing the level of investment for protection for the site. The assessment process clearly described risks, along with the outputs from the threat, asset criticality and vulnerability assessments. The risk assessment process examined how these factors interacted to determine an overall level of risk. These risks were then prioritized so that the project team could identify which risks required the greatest level of consideration during the development of the treatment plan and subsequent design.
Utilising the results of the security study and risk assessment, GSS developed security design guidelines and provided a concept security plan. GSS subsequently worked closely with the master planning design team to ensure the integration of security requirements at an early stage in the design, thereby removing the need for costly re-work at later stages in the project lifecycle.
Following successful sign-off of the master planning concept design, GSS produced the schematic design package.
Project Outcome
By establishing the project security requirements at an early stage, GSS were able to raise awareness of potential conflicts and identify opportunities and inform other members of the consulting consortium; allowing them to seamlessly integrate mitigation measures into an overall cost-effective design which fulfilled client expectations and achieved successful sign-off from the regulatory authorities.