If you’re looking to install a guard booth, chances are you have a primary goal in mind: security. Facilities install guard booths to increase the safety of the property and everyone who enters.
Yet, there’s more to it than that. Guard booths aren’t a one-size-fits-all building you can buy off a local big-box store’s shelves. It’s more than a simple outbuilding. The more you understand and consider up front, the more likely you’ll install a guard booth that provides the right level of security you need. Let’s get into the details.
What Is a Guard Booth?
Guard booths are also referred to as guard houses, guard huts, gatehouses, security shacks, or guard shacks. But whatever you call it, they are buildings or structures located at entrances to serve as checkpoints for entering, exiting, securing, monitoring, and granting access to commercial, governmental, industrial, or residential locations.
These structures allow security personnel to monitor the comings and goings of all who enter the property. They come in all shapes and sizes and are sometimes used for more than one thing. Ever bought tickets at an entertainment center? They are, in essence, a security booth, functioning as a go-between to watch who enters the facility.
The structure itself can be simplistic and basic in its design. If you need more protection, they can also be ballistic- and blast-rated if you’re more vulnerable to outside threats.
Start With a Plan
A guard booth at a government facility will have different needs and requirements than one located at the front of a residential neighborhood. Both offer protection. Both can monitor who enters and who leaves. Yet, the government facility will be more likely to face safety threats and, therefore, have higher demands for functionality.
The mere presence of a guard booth could be enough to deter certain acts of crime or violence. Placing it in a busy entrance location can make all who enter think twice about entering for nefarious reasons. It also provides an overall attitude to your workplace or residential area, telling clients, employees, residents, and visitors that safety is paramount.
If you’re exploring this option for your own facility, it’s best to start with a plan. What is your ultimate purpose? What are your requirements? What are considered necessities?
Guard booths can be prefabricated or customized to your unique specifications. They can be simplistic at best or designed for comfort and efficiency. You may require add-on features such as:
- Built-in heating and cooling
- LED spotlights
- Desk space
- Bathroom facilities
- Ballistics rating
Do you need one or multiple? Will you be securing one entrance, or do you need to secure various locations throughout your community?
If you have questions or aren’t sure what your next step is, now is a good time to discuss your needs. You can speak with one of the Spade Security experts to find out which level of security would be right to suit your needs best.
Considering Your Purpose in Creating Your Guard Booth
Guard booths can be designed according to your business’s specific needs. You may start with a prefabricated guard booth and then add other deterrents for protection. It can be as much as creating the right atmosphere for entrance as it is for security.
Guard booths are designed with multiple purposes in mind. Safety is now something we all think about every time we enter a facility. We may subconsciously look around, determining how safe a location is. Guard booths can provide that added sense of security, giving people one more reason to feel they can trust you.
Of course, aesthetics may be part of the process, but ultimately, it comes down to functionality. If your business needs bullet protection, do you need bullet-proof or blast-resistant? If aesthetics are important, how about a more contemporary design?
Don’t forget to consider what it will look like in your surroundings. It should be aesthetically pleasing and blend well with the rest of your environment. Quality wins every time, even if you’re looking for something more portable.
Additional Considerations
When most people start looking at security booths, it’s with one purpose in mind. Yet there’s more to it than security alone.
Depending on your geographical location, you’ll be battling the elements from time to time. Creating a security station with protection can make check-in processes more pleasant for visitors as well as for the security team.
Does your security booth work in conjunction with payment machines? Can it function without human presence? There are ways to continue to deter vandalism while giving you the flexibility you demand.
Creating a Multi-Layered Security System
In today’s world, security isn’t a one-and-done approach. According to the 2022 State of Protective Intelligence Report, 88 percent of business and security leaders note an increase in physical threats to their organizations.
Security should be in several layers. The facility’s perimeter is the entry, or the buffer zone, to the building itself. This is the main point of a guard booth. It’s the initial access control point, telling all who enter that a barrier is in place. You’ve thought through your security and have designed a plan to keep people safe.
Finalizing Your Plans
Before you started your search, you may have thought a guard booth was a simplistic design. When you consider all this information, you quickly realize a guard booth can be so much more.
A guard shack allows you to add protection to your current facilities. It’s a visible token to tell all that you take security seriously and are willing to provide what it takes to get the job done. It’s more than a simple structure; it can provide modern conveniences and give the appearance that all who enter will be safe from harm.
Spade Security Solutions has been helping facilities, businesses, and private locations create secure environments across the US for many years, and we’re ready to help you with your next project. We recognize that communication is crucial to get the job done, and we strive to provide you with open and honest dialogue.
Are you ready to discuss your security? We’re waiting to talk with you.
