Case Study: Physical Security
I previously worked with a client who purchased a building which housed a high-security tenant. The acquisition occurred after the signing of a new lease, finalization and government review of the Tenant Improvement Design, and the submission of the project cost summary by the General Contractor (GC). Upon my involvement in the project, I quickly needed to familiarize myself with the design and construction pricing.
Upon reviewing the documents, I noticed the intention to install all-new exterior perimeter security systems, including vehicular gates, wedge barriers, and perimeter fencing. Notably, the building had a 2’ high retaining wall surrounding the property, upon which the perimeter fence was to be installed.
During my site visit, I realized that the architect designed a 6’ fence to sit upon the 2’ retaining wall for the required 8’ tall security barrier. The issue with that is because the fence would be "centered" on the retaining wall, not perfectly flush with the front edge of the wall. This placement created an "enhancement" for someone attempting to bypass the physical security features by providing a toe hold for scaling the fence. Consequently, the measurement by the security specialists would be from the top of the retaining wall, rendering the actual fence height to just 6’, 2’ below the required physical security standards to protect the building.
Upon bringing this to the tenant's attention, we organized an all-hands meeting with multiple security personnel flying in from around the country to assess the onsite conditions. The result of that meeting was the confirmation that the fence needed to be 8’ tall, not including the retaining wall. While this led to issues with hurricane wind loading revisions to the structural posts, it also resulted in a significant net credit to the project because an 8’ fence is a standard size, whereas a 6’ fence is a custom order.
Though I am not a physical security expert, the lesson learned here is to involve the entire team as early in the TI process as possible. This is crucial because the drawings "approved" by the Government were not in compliance with their internal standards. Non-compliance could have started the new lease term on an unfavorable note, even though it didn't put the Landlord at any additional risk. My client purchased the building from an owner who did not understand the importance of the building's physical security features. The current owner not only saved the government a significant amount of money but also spared them from spending a million dollars on a fencing system that, once installed, wouldn't have passed their internal physical security requirements.
While it's not practical to hire an expert for everything, it's paramount that landlords hire people to represent them in TI and Alteration Projects with detailed Project Management experience in the types of tenants and projects that they will be completing for those tenants.
***NOTE*** The attached picture is a generic residential fence fastened to the top of a knee wall to demonstrate the “toe hold” condition that this type of installation creates. Not meant to be representative of any kind of actual physical security features.