Enhancing building security

Situation

The location of the visa and consular area above the main vehicle access to the British Embassy in Prague made it vulnerable to potential security threats and it had to be relocated.

Solution

As the lead Architect on the project, I worked alongside the Project Manager and Quantity Surveyor to produce detailed designs and specifications for the proposed renovations to the 400 year old building. These plans fully answered security requirements, whilst also improving the entrance and the internal layout. Based on the plans we produced, the public and private areas in the visa and consular section were completely redesigned and relocated within the building.

Impact

First and foremost, the changes meant that staff and visitors could be confident of the safety and security of the visa and consular areas that they were working in or visiting. In addition to the move, we took the opportunity to make additional improvements to the site.

By lowering the floor of the new designated area by a metre, we increased the usable space, providing a much improved working environment for staff. This has the added advantage of making this part of the building more accessible and fully compliant with the UK's Disability Discrimination Act.

By working closely with our customer and embassy staff, we ensured that everybody understood the requirements and the proposals to meet them, contributing to the overall successful completion of the project.