Sculpture gardens, parks, and historic grounds are among the most difficult places to protect properly. We have designed security for such places as the National Sculpture Garden on the Mall in Washington, the Nasher Center in Dallas, and the grounds of the Aga Khan Center in Toronto. It is important to understand the issues involved in protecting outdoor landscaped areas.
The security system designer must take into consideration the unique issues involved with outdoor security. Some fencing is totally ineffective against intrusion and some detectors and cameras function differently in extreme conditions. Viewing conditions and vistas differ by season. Daylight hours vary by season. Leaves on trees often block views.
Even when the landscape is newly built there can be issues. Security system designers can never really know for sure the size and species of plants that will be used because the availability of growing stock depends upon availability, draught, and other unpredictable conditions. Such issues as pole mounted camera heights can’t be determined until the size of the growing stock is known and as trees grow, camera views are often blocked.
This article can be useful to building owners and architects prior to the design process. Click the icon box above to read the article originally published in Security Management Magazine.