To what extent should society insist on terrorist-proof buildings? In post-Sept. 11, should we construct every new building so that it is completely safe from a terrorist action or should we view terrorism as a random event and construct buildings much as we have in the past?
These are the outermost points in a debate that the building code creation process has embraced since September 2001, when the World Trade Center Towers in New York City collapsed and the Pentagon, in Arlington, Va., was gashed open; all the result of a coordinated terrorist attack.
After four years of code debate, it appears the real answers to the question lie somewhere in the middle of the discussion, for the debate has shown that while life-safety could be improved by making every building absolutely attack-proof, the practicality of accomplishing that goal is nil and the necessity for doing so in every instance is dubious.
In exploring the myriad facets of the issue, one argument that has repeatedly been made is that high-rise buildings merit a special place in the overall debate. Not only do the buildings have a tempting profile to a terrorist, proponents of the theory proclaim they also contain unique life-safety exposure risks for occupants. Using the Sept. 11 attacks as proof of this theory, this group has pushed building codes to make every high-rise building as attack-resistant as possible.