Immunizing a building for chem-bio attacks.

• Author: Book, Elizabeth G.
• Position: Security Beat

Can a building be made "immune" to chemical or biological attacks? The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency seems to believe so. The agency awarded a contract to Bechtel, a major engineering and construction firm, to demonstrate whether it's possible to protect the occupants of a large office building when toxic agents are released in the vicinity.

The first test of the "immune building" will take place in a facility in the Nevada desert. For the project, Bechtel is teamed with Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics and Surveillance Systems.

Lockheed's NE&SS President John W. O'Neill, said the concept is "fascinating," even though it's not clear how much it will cost or whether any commercial builder would be interested in this technology.

Lockheed's role in the program is to "provide an understanding of how biological and chemical sensors...