Author(s)

M. Barakat and J.G. Hetherington

Abstract

Important structures such as embassies, government buildings, office buildings ... etc. form a category of civilian buildings that can be considered as a potential terrorist target. This fact leads to the need of offering them an adequate degree of protection against blast waves and fragments. This may convert them to a type of fort or casemate which will psychologically influence users of that building. An approach for designing these sorts of buildings can be by using new materials like laminated glass, ceramic cladding, ... etc. Alternatively, protection can be offered by increasing the dimensions of the structural elements (columns, beams, lintels, walls, ... etc.). These approaches, despite their advantages, may oppose the aspiration of the architect as well as incurring high construction costs. From here, a new concept of des

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