Security design for the Old War Office

This Grade II* listed, 54 000m² (581 251 sq ft) National Heritage building in Whitehall, London, is the former home of the Ministry of Defence. Firmly instilled in British history since 1906, this landmark has borne the tests of time through two world wars and played host to influential political and military leaders, including Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, and Lord Kitchener.

Partnering with Raffles Hotels and Resorts, Hinduja Group acquired the development in 2014.
EPR Architects have been appointed to complete the ‘sensitive repurposing of this iconic building’, steering its future use towards that of the hospitality sector through the incorporation of a 5-star 125-bedroom luxury hotel and 85 private high-end residences.

In addition, the vertical footprint of the building is also being extended to include a new double-height basement and rooftop extension. Restaurants, boutique retail, bars, a destination spa and gym, and a 25-metre pool are included in the plans.

QCIC was appointed by WDS to complete the design of the physical and electronic security enhancements for the development. These consisted of the deployment of electronic access control, video surveillance and voice communication systems for both the hospitality and residential areas. In addition to meeting all necessary operational briefing requirements, QCIC also worked closely with EPR and the design team to ensure that the overall security deployment strategy didn’t unduly affect the overall aesthetic vision and heritage status of this iconic London landmark.

As an extension to our primary design-based scope of work, QCIC also assisted EPR and WDS with the formulation of the perimeter Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) strategy. This included ascertaining attainable vehicular approach speeds for an errant vehicle, and ensuring deployed measures were sufficient to prevent a penetrative attack. This information was presented within a Vehicle Dynamics Assessment.
We also investigated and subsequently deployed security measures that could be used to delay entry and progressive movement of aggressors within the development, based around emerging global and regional security threats presented at the time.

SECURITY ASSURED
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