SPIRIT

Building on the conducted on-site Vulnerability Assessment (VA) workshops of the SPIRIT project an inventory of security-by-design recommendations for the protection of places of worship was defined. This effort seeks to enhance the security and resilience of religious sites against a variety of potential threats and security challenges by implementing a comprehensive and forward-thinking strategy for planning and designing the built environment.

Marking one year since the initiation of the project, SPIRIT advanced from its research-focused tasks into the early beginnings of the project’s development phase. Based on the implementation of Vulnerability Assessment (VA) workshops, the SPIRIT project created a comprehensive inventory and practical guide for implementing security-by-design principles and methods into the planning and design of religious sites.

Security-by-design as a key principle in the planning and design of religious sites

The concept of security-by-design describes a proactive and holistic approach which has the objective of enhancing the security and resilience of physical as well as social spaces, preventing and mitigating potential threats, by aligning security with the quality attributes of functionality, aesthetics, sustainability, and accessibility of buildings. The aim is to foster the protection of public places such as places of worship, without constraining their access, openness, and inclusivity.

In more detail, the adopted approach of security-by-design builds upon risk management, resilience, and proportionality as its key elements. The first principle supports the prioritisation of security needs through threat and vulnerability analyses, and impact and risk assessments. The second one shall ensure the continuity and functionality of the built environment. The third principle seeks to find a balance between the levels of security and openness by addressing necessity, adequacy, and effectiveness.

Compilation of a security-by-design recommendation inventory

In order to create an inventory of security-by-design recommendations as part of the SPIRIT project research activities were carried out, including the collection of sources and documents on the application of security-by-design in public spaces, the organisation and implementation of stakeholder workshops as well as the consultation of security experts.

Thereby, the primary method for gathering relevant information about religious sites, as well as soft targets and public spaces in general, involved engaging in dialogues with relevant stakeholders and representatives from places of worship through workshops. The workshops were conducted as on-site vulnerability assessments in different places of worship in Thessaloniki, Athens, Barcelona, Fürstenfeldbruck, Brussels, and Rome [possible link to article NEW01007902]. The collaboration between religious communities, security professionals, and practitioners throughout these workshops led to the compilation of a comprehensive requirements catalogue by the SPIRIT consortium. As part of the workshops, data was also gathered through a series of questionnaires designed to obtain concise information directly from local experts.

Resulting in an extensive compilation, the security-by-design recommendation inventory lists a variety of passive and active elements to foster safe places and inclusive communities through innovative technologies. The catalogue provides essential support for architects, urban planners, and security experts engaged in projects related to religious sites and public spaces. It is dedicated to security practitioners and religious representatives, exclusively.

Moreover, the established inventory of security-by-design recommendations will be part of the SPIRIT platform, which is the centerpiece of the upcoming development stage of the project. Integrating REAACT modules (Reporting, Engagement, Assessment/Action, Communication and Training) to the SPIRIT platform will thereby lay the foundation for the evaluation of reference threat scenarios – based on the defined use cases – and the security-by-design approach implementation.

SYNYO’s involvement in the specified activities draws significantly from its role as the coordinator of the closely related EU-funded SHIELD project. Besides its involvement in the underlying vulnerability assessment, SYNYO incorporated the findings and evaluated security measures from the SHIELD project into the SPIRIT project and the related security by design recommendations, creating synergies with other EC-funded projects in this area.

Links

https://spirit-isf.eu/project/

https://shieldproject.eu/

Keywords

Security-by-design, Recommendations Inventory, Places of Worship, Religious Sites, Workshops, Vulnerability Assessments