CPTED: A holistic strategy in the growing quest for safer buildings

Security continues to become an ever more important aspect of building design, and in this episode, we focus on the security strategy known as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED. Our guest is Ryan Searles, a senior security consultant at IMEG and certified CPTED professional. Ryan has also written about the strategy for the IMEG blog and says it is much more than just “large boulders and trees”—it also leverages architectural elements, social programs, colors, lighting, natural surveillance, natural access control, and even traffic curbing. “We’re seeing CPTED being applied a lot more now,” he adds. “We live in crazy times—in the past four to five years we've had a lot of civil unrest and more active shooters. So, more clients are implementing this strategy. Used along with electronic and physical security measures, it provides a solid, holistic approach to safety and security and really helps secure buildings and keep people safe.”