Tornado Safe Room Design

MA+ Architecture is a leader in Oklahoma for Tornado Safe Rooms and Shelter Design. For over 50 years we have been making our schools safer with great cost efficient design. MA+ has designed shelters to house over 20,000 students and staff. Because of our experience we are able to design safe rooms and shelters quickly and efficiently.

Safety and Security Design

MA+ Architecture has vast experience in Safety and Security Design. Gary L. Armbruster, AIA, ALEP is a national speaker on school security issues and solutions and was the only architect appointed to the Lt. Governor’s “Oklahoma School Security Commission”. That commission was formed after the tragedy at Sandy Hook to see what Oklahoma could do to prevent such a tragedy. The recommendations from that commission moved forward into 4 laws that were passed by the Oklahoma Legislature to better improve school security in Oklahoma.

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MA+ also has real world experience in designing safe schools. In every education project we undertake, safety and security are paramount in the design of the facility. For many schools, security starts at the front door with cameras, buzzers, and metal detectors and those are important. MA+ also looks past that to see what basic planning ideas can be utilized to keep the school safe. MA+ uses the idea of creating “concentric circles of protection”—a tenet of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) theory, in which a series of physical barriers and security systems delay or thwart an attacker. This principle, along with MA+ vast experience creates a safer and more secure education environment.

Grant Writing Assistance

MA+ Architecture can provide grant writing assistance to an owner when applying for grants or FEMA funds. The FEMA grant funding process can be lengthy and take up to 18 to 24 months so having an architecture firm that has assisted an owner through that process is beneficial.