Vibing Masonry: Masonry for Safety, Security & Protection

Words: Steve Blye

Masonry conveys protection, shielding occupants from external threats. Masonry also provides strength and resistance—separation from and resistance to fire, resistance against projectiles and ballistics, robust defense against vandalizing mobs and spontaneous vehicular attacks, resistance against the ravages of usage over time, and finally, resistance against tornadoes and hurricanes. Newer codes now require building masonry storm shelters within newly constructed police stations, but we will address masonry for weather protection in future articles.

In this document, we will focus on how masonry is still a primary choice to provide safety and security for facility staff and visitors, concentrating specifically on police stations and public safety facilities.

“As justice is to the practice of law and healing is to the mission of medicine, so is dignity to the profession of architectural design” (source unknown).

Masonry Architecture: Advancing a Dignified Civic Presence
Masonry, in the form of brick or stone, embodies stability, permanence, and a commitment to the community it serves. When one approaches a civic structure—be it a City Hall, fire station, or police station—the first impression sets the tone for what lies within. The police station is a facility where safety, justice, and community intersect. Using masonry conveys the message: “This institution is unwavering and impenetrable.”

With masonry, a civic building does not have to look like a prison to be fully secure. While public entrances are often adorned with masonry framing and trim, staff and service entrances typically lack the same grace as their public counterparts. By integrating masonry into all entry points, we can convey a consistent message of respect and purpose.



Designing for Security
Architects and public safety professionals decide concentric levels of security around and within civic projects. Since police stations are staffed 24/7/365, they need continual protection afforded by passive architecturally constructed systems rather than relying upon just active full-time employees as guards.

  1. At the outermost level, when perceived risks are high, protective perimeter walls serve as the first line of defense against vehicular threats. Encircling police stations, including spaces for personal autos and police vehicles, these walls—whether adorned with stone or brick—create a protective barrier, thwarting any attempt by heavy vehicles to breach the site. In safer areas, lower bollard-height stone or masonry-clad walls can stop or slow down intentional vehicular attacks. Often bollards serve as a secondary line of defense within a security perimeter and next to building entries. FEMA and Homeland Security have released planning requirements and guidelines for secure facilities in the urban environment.

Examples: In one major police station in Dallas, a robust masonry-clad barricade kept an armored vehicle 90 feet away from the property during an intentional attack. Although bullets were fired into the building from the vehicle (and a SWAT team eventually stopped the offender), the perimeter barrier wall protected against a much worse event.

At the Arlington Heights (Illinois) Police Department building, the architectural team had recommended installing curved bench-height barrier walls around the planters along this street as a barrier to stop or slow down intentional vehicular attacks (see attached photos). These were installed as curved planter elements, with concrete foundations and structure and beautiful stone faces and bench stone.

About a month prior to opening, a narcotics-impaired driver going 100 miles an hour lost control of his automobile and skidded straight toward the lobby of the station. The car hit the barrier walls, then barrel-rolled into the air before punching a hole in the stone tower. Without these sculptural and beautiful barricades, which were virtually undamaged, the officers at the front desk would have been vulnerable to impact from the vehicle. The retaining walls exemplified the team’s preparation for attacks on the station.

 

Arlington Heights Police Department, open 2020, with barricade walls in planters along the street

 

Masonry and concrete planter walls stay virtually undamaged while deflecting a 100-mph automobile into the police department’s stone and CMU (concrete masonry unit) wall. The lobby windows and police at the front desk in the lobby remained untouched.

 

Although the natural rustic stone wall with CMU structural backup was broken through in a limited area, its heavy mass served as a secondary barrier, stopping the vehicle from entering further into the police station. Skilled masons quickly repaired the stone wall with no apparent evidence of the collision.

YouTube links to videos:

  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-s3VcC0ym8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucCywZtK3vc&ab_channel=ABC7Chicago

The building facade provides a secondary line of defense with brick and stone masonry in front of concrete masonry units for structural integrity. The police staff who work in the building need additional protection from those seeking to harm the police. Bullet-resistant glass and doors provide secondary protection to the public and staff within the building. Sometimes this second level of protection is not as robust as solid walls, because civic buildings strive for welcoming and daylighted public areas, because citizens are rarely targeted within police station attacks.

Thickened bullet-resistant glazing and interior ballistic-resistant masonry provide a third line of defense between the public lobby and staff areas. Within the station, specific areas demand heightened security. Front customer service desks, public access staff areas, arrestee processing, property, and evidence rooms, and shooting ranges require specialized protection. Here, concrete masonry units with filled cells and closely spaced rebar provide robust defense. Often these walls have no windows, ensuring maximum security.

Often during the design of police stations, officers request the opportunity to assess the materials themselves for ballistic resistance, be it masonry or bullet-resistant glass. As this glass is three to five times more expensive than typical glazing, it is intended for carefully selected areas. Glass with light lamination and reinforcement is often installed within perimeter walls. For example, staff windows facing a taller public parking garage would more likely be composed of reinforced walls and bullet-resistant glazing than windows facing a street. More robust one-inch-thick or thicker “bulletproof” glass is located within building security perimeters. These locations are typically determined intuitively by the police staff user team, security consultants, and architects.

Bullet Resistance and Durability

Brick masonry alone lacks sufficient ballistic protection. The same applies to CMU in a single layer. Several years ago, Dan Kamys, MASONRY editorial director, test-fired various bullet sizes into brick and CMU walls and concluded the following: “The manufacturing process, clay material, and shape of structural brick grants these units a higher compressive strength than equal size CMU. For reference, most high-strength concrete block is approximately 3,500 PSI. Structural brick has net compressive strengths ranging between 9,000-15,000+ PSI.” However, when brick masonry is combined with filled-cell CMU and closely spaced-reinforced rebar, the resulting assembly becomes highly effective at stopping bullets and projectiles. While exterior walls with CMU backup may incur additional costs, they also offer protection against severe weather. The resultant long-term safety and durability justify the investment, especially within a public safety type facility.

Masonry allows for strategic openings. Bullet-resistant glazing and windows ensure daylight penetrates while security is maintained. Police stations, staffed around the clock, rely on passive systems (like walls, windows, and doors) and security devices to provide continuous protection without exhausting human resources.

Masonry can also provide considerable blast resistance, but ideally, explosive-laden vehicles need to be shielded from civic buildings. The 100-foot setback preferred for vehicular separation increases exponentially (by a factor of 10) as specified by FEMA in areas where explosives may target certain civic buildings. In the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, the death count was very high because the explosive-laden truck could get close to the building, resulting in facade destruction and structural collapse.

Durability and Longevity

Masonry excels in main corridors where officers, laden with gear and holsters, can inadvertently scrape walls. Smooth and polished ground-face masonry, though an up-charge, combines aesthetics with durability. These stations, operating 24/7/365, endure up to five times the wear and tear of regular facilities. In addition, police stations are intended to serve their communities for 30 to 40 years, so communities expect to pay a premium for durable, high-performance finishes. A classical early 1900s stone masonry police station in Des Moines, Iowa, still stands proud and beautiful for over a century—a testament to masonry’s great strength and longevity. However, continual evolutions in society, standards, staffing, functional programming, and equipment require periodic remodeling over time.

Across centuries, masonry—available in its many configurations—has consistently been chosen as the primary material for civic facilities. As advancements enhance its strength, masonry will continue to provide safety and protection to citizens and those who safeguard our communities.

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