The following force protection considerations will be given when determining the orientation of a building.
Deny aggressors a clear "line of sight" to the facility from on or off the installation where possible. Protect the facility against surveillance by locating the protected facility out of range or out of view from vantage points.
Protect against attack by selecting perimeter barriers to block sightlines such as obstruction screens, trees, or shrubs. Non-critical structures or other natural or man-made features can be used to block sightlines.
Create "defensible space" by positioning facilities to permit building occupants and police to clearly monitor adjacent areas.
If roads are nearby, orient building so that there are no sides parallel to vehicle approach routes.
Design vehicular flow to minimize vehicle bomb threats; avoid high-speed approach into any critical or vulnerable area.
Avoid locating the facility adjacent to high surrounding terrain, which provides easy viewing of the facility from nearby non-military locations.
Designers need to balance the need for signs that identify, locate, and direct residents and supported personnel to installation assets, versus the need to discourage and frustrate hostile intelligence gathering and access. One method of achieving this balance could be to direct people to a community support or information center to obtain directions to high security activities. Another could be signage like - "All incoming personnel and visitors report to building number ___."
Place trash containers as far away from the facility as possible. Antiterrorism/force protection requirements restrict the location of dumpsters to a minimum of 10 meters (33 feet) from inhabited buildings and 25 meters (82 feet) from billeting and primary gathering areas (Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 4-010-01, DoD Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings, Table B-1).