The AIA is hosting a conference January 10–13, 2002, in Albuquerque focused on security issues and design. It will address the challenges architects and building owners face in the mutual quest to protect the health, safety, and welfare of building occupants, visitors, and the public. Of course, the current demand for security measures must be tempered with the values that define the U.S.: openness and accessibility in a free society.

In an AIA survey conducted after the September 11 terrorist attacks, 72 percent of respondents anticipated that their clients would request additional security features in design projects currently under development. This trend underscores the need for architects to be well-versed in the fundamentals of risk assessment and knowledgeable of the current array of products that reinforce "security by design."

To this end, the January conference will present an internationally renowned group of architects, consultants, and security experts offering case studies, plenary discussions, and concurrent lecture sessions to help attendees:
• Recognize the nature of security threats to the built environment and the relative risks associated with those threats
• Develop strategies and methods to plan, design, and construct buildings to mitigate or reduce security threats
• Advise clients about security threats and the integration of security concerns throughout the building life cycle.

The seminar is designed to benefit firm principals; design principals; construction managers; specifiers; corporate and public facility managers; and building owners. It also will offer a product expo of security-related goods and services, and a tour of Sandia National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base.

Check www.aia.org for details soon!

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.