Old Buildings Vs New Buildings

Operating out of a factory means that you will be concerned with the security of the building. Any damage to the building itself, could delay or even cease operations. While a breach of your building could mean your machinery, stock or products are damaged or destroyed. Or even worse, your staff are harmed! All of which costs you valuable time and money.

As we continue to look at the security of buildings, in this blog, we explore the differences between old and new buildings.

For more information about protecting buildings, look at our Guide.

Guide to Protecting Buildings

Old Buildings

Old buildings are more likely to be compartmentalised – broken down into smaller manageable spaces. This allows better control of access & egress into these areas. Higher values items can be centralised into a single compartment with stronger security controls.

Corridors and stairways are often not in straight lines. Although this is not ideal for surveillance purposes, it is a strength in terms of protection against terrorism. A marauding gunman, for example, will not have clear fields of fire.

Building layout may be difficult to navigate. This can mean it is difficult for an intruder to find his way around a building to find an asset or item of value.

Windows in older buildings, especially if they are original, have weaker frames and glazing. The windowpanes were often secured using putty which allow for easy removal. As with windows, doors and their frames, maybe weaker than more modern door sets.

Older buildings often have roof spaces that are easy to access. This leads to easy and concealed unauthorised access as roofs are often easy to penetrate.

Although stated as a ‘Pro’ earlier, often older buildings do not have straight corridors or stairways which can lead to blind spots for natural and CCTV surveillance. There can also be a lack of natural light which gives the potential for easy places to hide.

Neighbouring buildings are often closer with older buildings, often sharing a wall or roof space. Inherent weaknesses in the neighbouring buildings will cause weaknesses in your building.

Further to the above, it can be difficult to establish a perimeter with older buildings. So, more thought needs to go into creating that layered security plan.

New Buildings

Modern buildings integrate security aesthetics in a better way but are not perfect. Let’s have a look:

Modern windows are designed to be more secure. Often, they are not designed to open if there are air conditioning units or environmental control systems built in.

Security is often designed into the building. Meaning high value items, such as server rooms, will be located in purpose built rooms.

New buildings often have straight walls and corridors which provide good surveillance. Although, as mentioned, this can be a double edged sword.

Most modern buildings are now open plan. Although this is good for natural and CCTV surveillance, it must be noted that insecurities are often created by valuable assets being on display.

Ducting and crawl spaces can provide cover for assailants and offer increased opportunity for concealment.

And lastly, new buildings are built to a tight budget. Unless otherwise specified, the builders may have installed weak locks with commonly available keys.

Whether you have an old building or new building, it is important to:

1. Take advantage of the strengths of that building
2. Put in measures to mitigate the weaknesses.

If you would like to know more about protecting buildings, then please get in touch.