Whitehall streetscape improvement project wins ‘Security in the Public Realm’ award

01 Sep 2008

The Whitehall Streetscape Improvement Project, a unique collaboration between the Cabinet Office, Westminster City Council and West One Infrastructure Services, is a £25 million scheme aimed at upgrading the Whitehall area in central London to make it a safer, better and cleaner environment for everyone, befitting its historical importance and iconic status as the centre of Government.
  
A key aspect of the scheme has been the construction of new balustrade walls clad in traditional Portland stone, the material that dominates this part of the capital, to protect key buildings, including those that house HM Revenue and Customs, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and The Cabinet Office. However, beneath the Portland stone is hidden a high strength Bi-Steel structure that offers robust impact protection. The Bi-Steel bollard system is also a key element of the scheme. Above ground this looks like a row of traditional London bollards but they are fixed within heavy-duty Bi-Steel foundations to provide superior performance against impact.
 
The Award, which was sponsored by the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), recognises excellence in the development, application or promulgation of effective and proportionate security systems within the public realm to counter established and evolving threats. In making the award, the judges recognised the scheme as one that was “a unique project where urban design and security skills are blended carefully, to design an effective scheme in an aesthetically challenging area”.