Nearly eight in 10 architects expect safety considerations to increase in K–12 education projects over the next three years, according to new research from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). AIA’s new Safety & Security in Design report found that 79% of respondents expect greater emphasis on safety in primary and secondary education projects, the highest percentage among the building sectors studied. Higher education followed at about 70%.

The findings point to a broader shift in how architects say they’re approaching security across school and university building projects today. Rather than treating it as a separate layer added late in the design process, respondents indicated that they increasingly incorporate access control, visibility, operational planning, materials, and other measures into the building itself. AIA says education, healthcare, institutional, and mission-critical projects report some of the highest levels of integration.

Controlled access leads education security strategies

These industry-specific findings show just how common some of those measures have become in recent years. In fact, among architects working on education projects, 95.3% reported using controlled access points as part of safety-related design decisions. Further, nearly 80% incorporate surveillance systems, 78.5% use physical barriers such as fencing or bollards, and 66.4% incorporate visibility strategies such as sightlines and shelter-room design.

The research also found that interior security measures appear in 62.4% of education projects, while 57% include reinforced exterior building elements such as windows or doors. About half use natural-surveillance approaches associated with Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED. Controlled access also stood apart when architects were asked to identify the most important security measure: 65.1% selected it, far ahead of any other strategy.

The emphasis on multiple layers echoes a point AS&U recently explored in “How risk assessments can guide smarter school security investments”. Rather than beginning with cameras, alarms, or other individual technologies, districts can first identify vulnerabilities and then determine which combination of physical improvements, policies, staffing, and technology addresses those risks.

Security is moving beyond minimum code requirements

Across all project types, 74% of respondents said their firms provide safety and security services beyond minimum code requirements at some level, according to AIA.