GREENBLAST™ - PROTECTION for the built and natural environment.

GreenBlast™ is the result of a 'whole building' design philosophy in which sustainable design and security measures are integrated.  Hinman Consulting Engineers is a recognized leader in blast design and security engineering; we have earned a reputation for delivering safe, practical and architecturally pleasing solutions that integrate both blast mitigation and sustainable design.  While sustainable design and security design requirements may seem inherently contradictory they can enhance one another when implemented with the proper design philosophies and an integrated design approach.  

Sustainable Site Design 

In security design the stand-off distance is critical, separating the building from a potential threat.  Some examples of sustainable site barriers that can be used to create the required stand-off are retaining walls, boulders, bioswales, waste water retention ponds and earth dikes.   

Water  Efficiency

Water efficiency plays an important role in sustainable design.  While not obvious, water efficiency practices from sustainable design can enhance the security of structures.  Wastewater treatment and retention ponds can be used as part of the perimeter security plan to maintain stand-off by limiting vehicle access to the site.  Dry fire hydrants reduce the demand on potable water and require no electricity; they therefore provide a more robust system as they are capable of supplying water when power is disrupted by a natural or man-made disaster.

  

Energy and Atmosphere 

Power supply is critical to the security of a facility and is essential in reducing a building’s environmental impact.  Building commissioning, effective and redundant HVAC design, laminated glazing, green roofs and thermal mass walls are a few examples of the synergies between security and sustainable design.  Building commissioning can increase a building’s energy efficiency by up to 30% and allows for operations and maintenance staff to review security measures for the building.  An efficient and redundant HVAC system can reduce the risk of airborne biological, chemical and radiological contaminants and increase the energy efficiency of a building.  Laminated glazing is essential to providing a safe building under air-blast loading as it reduces the hazard of glass shards.  Additionally, laminated glazing can reduce solar heat gain.  Green roofs add insulation to the structure to maintain consistent temperatures which reduce the load on heating and cooling systems; they also add mass to the structure which helps reduce the effects of air-blast loading.  Reinforced concrete used for interior lobby walls provide blast protection for secure areas and also provide thermal mass to enhance energy efficiency.

 

Materials and Resources 

Slag and fly ash are cement substitutes that divert post industrial waste away from the landfill to provide usable building material.  Often these substitutes result in stronger concrete which has the ductility and mass required for blast resistance. 

Indoor Environmental Quality 

Allowing for natural lighting within a building increases worker productivity and allows for a more pleasant work environment.  While certain sun control and shading devices may pose a flying debris hazard in the event of an explosion, these devices can be designed to behave in a ductile manner.  Inherently brittle devices such as ceramic sun shades should be avoided.  Light-weight metals are preferred as they behave in a less hazardous manner.  An air-tight building envelope is essential to the building’s energy performance and can reduce heating and cooling loads by up to 40%.  

An air-tight envelope is also essential to protecting occupants form airborne contaminants such as chemical, biological or radiological debris released into the air.  Double walled curtain walls are also very effective in both security design and sustainable design as they reduce solar heat gain and provide an additional layer of security protection.