Secure Architectural & Environmental Design

With our Principal Consultant a Home Office qualified Architectural Liaison Officer, NSG Security Consultants are acknowledged to be one of the few qualified independent consultancies offering a true secure architectural and environmental design service.

Working from the initial design phase through to completion, with architects, planners, developers and occupants, NSG offer advice on Secure Architectural and Environmental Design by applying the proven concept of “Crime Prevention through Environmental Design.” (It is now, and has been for sometime widely acknowledged that the built environment can influence criminal behaviour).

What is CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design)?

CPTED (more commonly known in the United Kingdom as Designing Out Crime) is a multi-disciplinary approach to deterring criminal behaviour through environmental design. It involves strategies that rely upon the ability to influence offender decisions that precede criminal acts.

The principle strategies, involve:

(1) Natural surveillance – increasing the threat or apprehension by taking steps to increase the perception that people can be seen

(2) Natural access control – limiting the opportunity for crime by taking steps to clearly differentiate between public space and private space

(3) Natural territorial reinforcement – promoting social control through increased definition of space and improved proprietary concern

(4) Maintenance – reinforcing the sense of ownership and care about the environment

(5) Target Hardening – the use of locks, bars, grilles and other security measures to ‘harden the target’

In order to ensure that CPTED can deliver, each of these five strategies must be considered equally, but the reality is they hardly ever are. All security practitioners understand Target Hardening, but few understand the natural strategic elements, never mind incorporate them into the advice provided to architects, planners and developers. The truth is that it is the natural elements that are the more effective and moreover they build upon good architectural design practice enhancing the quality of the built environment without putting barriers in the way of peoples enjoyment and experiences.

NSG can demonstrate that a more holistic approach involving all the CPTED does create a more secure environment and does not adversely affect building aesthetics and usability.

The NSG Difference

At NSG we recognise the importance of understanding how the built environment will be used, how people will interact with the environment and the all important human factors. Following our proven evidence based and process led approach; we take a bottom up approach – one that ensures the construction projects we work on achieve the correct balance between security and accessibility.

To find out more and how NSG Security Consultants can help with your construction project and to receive a copy of our information pack please contact us at info@nsgsecurity.co.uk