Safety & Security in Design: 2026 AIA research
Explore new AIA research on how architects are integrating safety and security into building design while balancing protection, accessibility, transparency, and occupant well-being.
How safety & security are shaping architectural design
Safety and security are no longer stand-alone considerations. They’re integral to how architects plan projects, design buildings, and specify products.
AIA’s Safety & Security in Design report examines how architects are responding to evolving risks, client expectations, and regulatory requirements through layered strategies that protect occupants while balancing building performance, design goals, and budgets.
Developed with support from AIA Strategic Partner Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope, the research explores how safety and security considerations vary across building sectors, the challenges architects face, and what they mean for the future of architectural practice.
Key findings
What’s inside the report?
- Building sectors: How security integration varies across education, healthcare, commercial, residential, and mission-critical projects
- Integrated design strategies: How architects combine access control, visibility, operational planning, and material selection
- Professional expertise: How experience, client expectations, codes, and consultants influence design decisions
- Product specification: How cost, performance, durability, and aesthetics shape security-related product specification
- School safety: Five project profiles demonstrating how architects balance security, openness, and occupant well-being.
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