Safe Rooms

'Safe Rooms' or Secure Rooms are in effect protected areas within a building that are a mandatory part of every new building erected in Israel.

Unlike the old 'bomb shelters' which were constructed under an apartment block, or in a central location within a cluster of buildings, the Safe Rooms are placed either as a room in each apartment, or at the floor level in office buildings. Providing a central protected room for all the offices on the same floor.

After the 1991 Gulf War which had Israel having to deal with Scud missles sent by Iraq, suspected also to carry chemical war heads, the Israeli building code was modified to include these varios type of Safe Rooms, replacing the underground shelters in old aparment blocks.

Aside from the re-inforced concrete and special blast-resistant glass windows, these rooms include various additional features, such as:

Blast-proof door able to withstand explosions and various violent scenarios
Air-tight environment able to endure chemical warfare, including special air filteration capabilities.
Special lighting fixtures disigned to withstand explosions and water from fire sprinkler systems.

Apartment Safey Room

At the singular level, a Safe Room can be incorporated as a single unit for each household, be it for a ground level house, or an aparment block.

They can either be included in the building plans, during the design phase, or added later, to an existing construction.

A Safe Room added to a private home

A Safe Room added as a new wing to an existing apartment block.

Floor Level Safe Rooms

Normally they are constructed in the centre of the building's structure, alongside the elevators and stair wells. These rooms offer shelter to all the office staff across the entire floor, be they from different companies. In day=to-day, these rooms are used as meeting rooms, yoga studios or other community services, such as prayer rooms.

The central core of a building survives an Iranian rocket attack, with all the residents inside the Floor Safe Room remain unharmed.

photo: Yuval Chen

Pre-Fabricated / Portable Safe Rooms

For short term use, such as sporting events, or if a Satety Room is needed in short notice, a pre-fabricted room can be transported on site, to offer the required shelter.