Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) are highly secure, accredited areas, rooms or buildings built to prevent the physical and electronic interception of Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
Famous SCIFs include the White House Situation Room, the Pentagon’s National Military Command Center, the George Bush Center for Intelligence (aka the CIA Headquarters), Fort George G. Meade (aka the NSA Headquarters), The U.S. Capitol Building SCIF, and the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba.
SCIFs are classified based on operational requirements.
SCIF classifications include:
- Continuous Operation Facilities (i.e. Accredited facilities staffed and operated 24/7),
- Open Storage Facilities (i.e. Accredited facilities in which Sensitive Compartmented Information or Special Access Program information may be openly stored or processed without use of U.S. General Services Administration-approved storage containers),
- Closed Storage Facilities (i.e. Accredited facilities where Sensitive Compartmented Information or Special Access Program material is required to be stored in U.S. General Services Administration-approved storage containers when not in use.)
SCIFs include new structures and temporary areas built in existing structures.
That said, SCIFs typically include the final zone of highest security in a new or existing structure.
More permanent SCIFs, namely Continuous Operation facilities, Open Storage facilities, and Closed Storage facilities can be incredibly complex structures, requiring special attention to detail throughout design and construction.
Governing SCIF design codes and standards include the Intelligence Community Directive (ICD) 705 standard, the Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) No. 4-010-05, (UFC 4-010-05) SCIF/SAPF Planning, Design, and Construction standard, and the Department of Defense Manual No. 5105.21 (DoDM 5105.21) Volumes 1-3 standards. For SCIF design and construction in high-risk areas, governing design codes and standards include the Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) No. 4-010-01 (UFC 4-010-01), DoD Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings and the UFC 4-023-03, Design of Buildings to Resist Progressive Collapse.
SCIF new builds and/or renovations (in existing buildings) can be tricky for General Contractors.
Below are the top 5 structural blind spots in Historical Building Renovation for General Contractors.
For construction defects or design defects involving structural components it is generally advisable to engage construction-defect and structural forensic engineering experts early on in the case to determine causation, reduce risks, and limit costs.
Preeminent Solutions is a DBE-certified, MWBE-certified, LDB-certified and soon-to-be 8(a)-certified and WOSB-certified, civil/structural engineering firm specializing in structural forensics and construction-defect expert witness work.
Contact us for your next SCIF renovation project.
Acoustic Performance and Acoustic Isolation Deficiencies
SCIF perimeters include perimeter walls, ceilings, floors, and all penetrations in the perimeter (i.e. windows, doors, ducts and utilities.)
At a minimum, SCIF perimeters must provide:
- Resistance to forced entry
- Resistance to covert entry
- Visual evidence of surreptitious penetration
- Resistance to visual observation
SCIF perimeters must also provide acoustic protection, to prevent eavesdropping and sound transmission.
Note: As general practice, successful structural design must also create environments favorable to occupant acoustic comfort and protect occupants from excessive noise intrusion and acoustic distress.
By this measure, poor acoustic performance can be classified structural performance issue in contrast to the typically mitigated strength issues.
In general, key signs of poor structural acoustic performance include:
- Excessive Sound Transmission
- Persistent or High Levels of Reverberation
- Flanking Noises
- Vibrational Noises
- Complaints of Occupant Auditory Fatigue
SCIFs must maintain acoustic performance as well as acoustic isolation.
Signs of poor acoustic isolation include:
- Sounds Leaking Between Rooms
- Visible Gaps or Openings in Perimeter
- Drafty Windows or Doors
- Unsealed Utility Penetrations
- Poorly Sealed Interfaces between Walls and Floors
- Discontinuous Walls
SCIFs must meet the requirements of Sound Transmission Class (STC) Sound Group 3 and 4 to gain accreditation.
Consult Preeminent Solutions’ Free Online Education Center for resources and checklists regarding structural performance:
Link: https://psengrinc.com/learning/
Contact a qualified structural engineer if your structure displays any of the above signs of poor acoustic performance.
Likewise, consult an acoustics consultant should your structure require acoustic isolation retrofits.
Equipment Anchorage Failure
Many SCIFs are equipped with specialized equipment (i.e. heavy perimeter doors, heavy safes, equipment racks, etc.) that require sound anchorage for best performance.
This issue is especially relevant in the retrofit of existing structures that were not originally designed to be used as a SCIF facility.
Key signs of equipment anchorage failure in masonry wall elements include:
- Severe Cracking Near the Anchor Bolts
- Severe Stair-Step Cracking Along the Mortar Joints
- Bent or Warped Anchor Baseplates
- Visible Gaps between Baseplate and Masonry Surface
Consult Preeminent Solutions’ Free Online Education Center for resources and checklists regarding structural overloading:
Link: https://psengrinc.com/learning/
Contact a qualified structural engineer if your structure displays any of the above signs of anchorage failure.
Raised-Access Floor Instability
SCIF perimeters include perimeter walls, ceilings, floors, and all penetrations in the perimeter.
SCIF walls must go from top of floor slab (i.e. the “true floor”) to underside of the next floor or roof deck (i.e. the “true ceiling”). Perimeter walls, floors and ceilings must be solidly constructed and attached to each other.
To maintain perimeter wall requirements, many SCIFs use raised floors.
Raised floors provide several advantages including:
- Improved Accessibility for Inspections
- Improved Routing Options for Cables and Utilities
- Expanded Options for HVAC Placement
- Accommodation for Uneven Existing Structure Floors
Despite their benefits, raised floors also have several disadvantages particularly with regards to concentrated equipment loads that can exceed the floor capacity.
Signs of structural overloading in steel-cement raised floors include:
- Bouncy Floors
- Visibly Sagging Floors Panels
- Audible Creaking or Popping Sounds
- Buckled Pedestals
Consult Preeminent Solutions’ Free Online Education Center for resources and checklists regarding structural overloading:
Link: https://psengrinc.com/learning/
Contact a qualified structural engineer if your structure displays any of the above signs of overloading.
GSA-Approved Specialized Equipment Concentrated loads
SCIFs, particularly Closed Storage Facilities, typically house U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)-approved storage containers and equipment namely: heavily-reinforced safes, classified storage vaults, server racks, and/or weapons lockers.
The addition of specialized equipment can produce concentrated loads in existing structures leading to slab punching-shear capacity and differential deflections particularly in raised-floor systems.
This issue is especially relevant in the retrofit of existing structures that were not originally designed to be used as a SCIF facility.
Key Signs of slab punching-shear overburdening in concrete slab elements include:
- Severe cracking in Slab Elements
- Concrete Spalling, Chipping, and Delamination
- Differential Deflection of Slab
Consult Preeminent Solutions’ Free Online Education Center for resources and checklists regarding structural overloading:
Link: https://psengrinc.com/learning/
Contact a qualified structural engineer if your structure displays any of the above signs of overloading.
Antiterrorism and Blast-Resistant Upgrades
SCIFs in high-risk regions (i.e. regions prone to terrorist attacks) require antiterrorism upgrades to reduce collateral damage and to mitigate the scope and severity of mass casualties.
Antiterrorism upgrades include defensive measures, in design and construction and are used to reduce the vulnerability of individuals and the subject structure to terrorist acts.
Key antiterrorism upgrades include blast hardening measures namely:
- Structural Isolation of Different Portions of the Building
- Structural Isolation of Additions to the Building
- Standoff Measures
- Progressive Collapse Resistance
- Equipment Bracing
Protective structural design includes the below two methods to increase blast hardening:
- Structural Redundancy (i.e. the structure’s ability to provide alternative means of resisting applied loads.)
- Structural Target Hardening (i.e. performance improvements, namely strength improvements, stiffness, and ductility improvements of individual structural components.)
Existing structures may not be able accommodate all recommended antiterrorism upgrades, particularly blast-specific structural redundancy and structural isolation.
Structural redundancy includes the structure’s ability to provide alternative means of resisting applied loads.
Structural isolation reduces the likelihood that collapse of one portion of a structure affects the stability of the remainder of the structure.
Key signs of low structural redundancy include:
- Singular Column Supports with Larger Tributary Areas and Heightened Loads Instead of Multiple Column Supports
- Singular or Fewer Beams with Larger Tributary Areas and Heightened Loads Instead of Multiple / More Beams
- Weak or Brittle Connections
- Lack of Neighboring or Alternative Load Paths.
Consult Preeminent Solutions’ Free Online Education Center for resources and checklists regarding structural performance:
Link: https://psengrinc.com/learning/
Contact a qualified structural engineer if your structure displays any of the above signs of poor structural redundancy.
Likewise, consult a qualified blast consultant should your structure require antiterrorism retrofits.
Preeminent Solutions is a DBE-certified, MWBE-certified, LDB-certified and soon to be 8(a)-certified and WOSB-certified, civil/structural engineering firm.
We have over 30 years’ experience in civil/structural design, forensics, and expert work
We’re Licensed in CA, FL, TX, NJ, NY, DC, MD, VA, TN, MS, GA, NC, SC, LA, & more.
Reach out if your team is in need of structural engineering support.
Preeminent Solutions, Inc.
Forensic Structural Engineers & Consultants
📞 (321) 244-8699 | (407) 901-0133
✉️ info@psengrinc.com
🌐 www.psengrinc.com
