Expertises/Passive security/EN 1627 · RC4-RC6

Anti-intrusion facadeRC4-RC6per EN 1627.

Designing an envelope rated RC4, RC5 or RC6 per EN 1627 to withstand determined forced-entry attempts, while preserving the architectural appearance of a standard facade, occupant comfort and design integration. Our missions cover risk analysis, integrated system design (glazing + framing + hardware + anchorages), qualification tests EN 1628-1629-1630 and certification by independent laboratories. UHNWI clients, signature jewellery stores, banks and museums value invisible protection: they do not want to live or work in a bunker.

RC4-RC6 anti-intrusion facade, composite mullion with security bollardsPL.022 · RC4-RC6
01 / 02UHNWI Place Vendôme facade, invisible RC5 class.
© S&P · Sprint 3
01Plate 01 / 07, Typologies

Project typologies.

Eight project configurations regularly mobilise an RC4 to RC6 rating. They share a common feature: a tangible, planned or organised threat that justifies passive investment where alarms and guards no longer suffice.

01 / 08UHNWI

UHNWI residences

Elevated risk profile: celebrities, exposed executives, families with specific threats.

DiscretionTargeted risk
02 / 08Signature

Jewellery, watchmakers

Signature art galleries: Place Vendôme, Bond Street, via Montenapoleone. Architectural quality and prolonged resistance.

Place VendômeBond Street
03 / 08Finance

Banks & institutions

Signature branches, back-offices, vault rooms. Asset protection and insurance compliance.

BranchBack-officeVault
04 / 08R&D

Sensitive companies

Proprietary R&D, industrial secrets, confidential prototypes. Physical protection of the intellectual perimeter.

R&DIPPrototypes
05 / 08Heritage

Museums & galleries

High-value collections. Protection conditions the insurance policy and international loan agreements.

InsuranceLoan agreements
06 / 08Collections

Properties with private collections

Fine wines, classic cars, art, patrimonial vaults. Building safekeeping in addition to vault safekeeping.

CellarGarageVault
07 / 08Critical

Critical infrastructure

Classified data centres, trading floors. Operational continuity and flow confidentiality.

Tier IVTrading
08 / 08Diplomatic

Embassies & residences

Diplomatic, often combined with blast requirements.

VBIED combinedMulti-register
02Plate 02 / 07, Classification

The RC classification.

EN 1627 defines six classes of resistance to forced entry, calibrated by resistance time against a defined threat profile. This referential structures everything that follows: classes RC4 to RC6 mark the threshold above which envelope security engineering adds value.

EN 1627 · Six classes of forced-entry resistance.
AttributClassRCTimeMin.Threat profileTools
RC13 minOpportunistic, poorly equipped attempt (shoulder, kick)
RC23 minSimple tools (screwdriver, pliers, wedges)
RC35 minExtended tools (crowbar, reinforced screwdriver)
RC410 minExperienced burglar (saw, hammer, axe, hand drill)
RC515 minQualified threat (power tools, angle grinder)
RC620 minEquipped threat (heavy equipment, high-power angle grinder)
The RC4 threshold

Classes RC1 to RC3 are covered by standard secured joinery on the market, often without specialist engineering. Classes RC4 to RC6 concern high-risk projects. This is where envelope security engineering adds value: calibrating the protection level to the real risk, designing the complete system in an integrated manner, and obtaining EN 1627 certification without architectural compromise.

03Plate 03 / 07, Method

Our method, in four phases.

Four phases structure the method, from risk analysis to certification. Each phase produces a contractual, signed deliverable that becomes the reference for the next phase.

01
Risk profile analysis

Identification of assets to protect: people, goods, data, collections. Retained threat profile: opportunistic, planned, organised. Response time of intervention services: police, private security, integrated guard teams. Determination of the target RC class, calibrated to real risk without over-investment. The analysis is documented as a note that justifies every class choice and becomes the contractual reference for the rest of the mission.

02
Integrated system design

Anti-intrusion does not apply to the glass pane alone: it is a complete system, where the weakest link determines global performance. Multi-layer laminated glazing, reinforced framing, certified hardware, anchorages, fixed glazing: five sub-systems calibrated together (detailed below).

03
Testing and certification

Dynamic tests EN 1629: hard- and soft-body impacts simulating early attack phases. Static tests EN 1628: loads applied to identified weak points. Manual tests EN 1630: simulated attack by experienced burglar with a toolkit calibrated to the target class, performed by certified operators at an accredited laboratory.

04
Architectural integration

Anti-intrusion must be invisible. Standard-appearance glazing (no fortified look). Architectural profiles identical to non-secured joinery on the rest of the building: same reveals, same finishes, same proportions. Hidden or design-integrated hardware. Absence of visual signals that would reveal the presence of reinforced protection, a particularly structural point for UHNWI residences whose owners reject a security appearance.

§ Weakest link
The global performance of an RC4-RC6 envelope does not depend on the strongest component: it depends on the weakest component. The system is calibrated across its five registers simultaneously.
Anti-intrusion composite mullion, exploded view aluminium + steel + stainlessFIG. 03 · Mullion
02 / 02Anatomy of an RC5 composite mullion, triple barrier successively absorbing the attack phases.
© S&P
§ 01 · Glazing
Multi-layer laminated glazing.

Laminated glass P6B, P7B or P8B per EN 356 (manual-attack resistance). Integrated security films between glass layers. Thicknesses and compositions calibrated to the target RC level.

01
§ 02 · Framing
Reinforced profiles.

Specific aluminium or steel. Invisible metal reinforcements integrated into profile chambers. Triple barrier: opening sash, fixed frame, anchor link, dimensioned to absorb successive attack phases.

02
§ 03 · Hardware
Certified hardware.

Multi-point locks SKG, A2P or VdS per RC class. Anti-lift and anti-extraction hinges. Reinforced espagnolette rods. Hardware independently qualified.

03
§ 04 · Anchorages
Through anchorages.

Fastenings to the primary structure. Number and spacing per EN 1628 to 1630, accounting for dynamic and static loads during the test duration.

04
§ 05 · Fixed glazing
Anti-disassembly sealing.

Anti-extraction glazing beads, certified structural bonding for fixed panels, joint protection against mechanical extraction.

05
04Plate 04 / 07, Combinations

Frequent combinations.

Four requirement combinations coexist regularly on high-risk-profile projects. Anti-intrusion rarely lives alone: it is calculated with the neighbouring registers, sometimes complementary, sometimes antagonistic.

01 / 01Combination

Anti-intrusion and bomb blast.

For embassies, sensitive headquarters, very-high-risk UHNWI residences.

Design reconciles the two requirements, often complementary (thick multi-layer glazing satisfying both registers), sometimes antagonistic: a dissipative blast anchor can weaken static intrusion resistance, requiring combined calculation. See Blast resilience.

Typology
Embassy · UHNWITension
Dissipation vs stiffness
EN 1627ISO 16933Combined calc
02 / 02Combination

Anti-intrusion and fire.

For buildings open to the public (ERP) or high-rise buildings (IGH).

Protection against intrusion combined with fire resistance EI30, EI60 or EI90 per typology. Anti-intrusion and fire certifications are tested separately, but products must satisfy both specifications on the same component.

Typology
ERP · IGHTests
Separate, common products
ERPIGHEI30 · EI60 · EI90
03 / 03Combination

Anti-intrusion and ballistic resistance.

For very-high-risk UHNWI profiles.

Combination of P7B or P8B anti-intrusion glazing with FB-class ballistic glazing per EN 1522-1523, applied to exposed building zones.

Typology
UHNWI very-high-riskZoning
Exposed facade
P7B · P8BEN 1522-1523Class FB
04 / 04Combination

Anti-intrusion and active detection.

Vibration, opening, glass-break sensors. Detection enriches, does not replace.

Integration of electronic sensors complementing the system's passive resistance. Active detection does not replace passive resistance; it enriches it. See Smart skin & electrochromic for active facade-integrated technologies.

Coupling
Passive + activeReference
BMS, BACnet, KNX
VibrationOpeningGlass break
§ From system to standards
Four technical combinations coexist. To arbitrate them, we need a shared European reference, multi-jurisdictional on components, that makes every choice defensible before qualification labs and host authorities.
05Plate 05 / 07, Standards

Standards mastered.

The anti-intrusion normative corpus is European and multi-jurisdictional on components. Our practice mobilises the following nine references daily.

01 / 09EU

EN 1627

Classification RC1 to RC6 of forced-entry resistance of doors, windows, shutters and closures.

PivotRC1-RC6
02 / 09EU

EN 1628

Test method for the determination of resistance to static loads.

StaticLoads
03 / 09EU

EN 1629

Test method for the determination of resistance to dynamic loads.

DynamicImpacts
04 / 09EU

EN 1630

Test method for the determination of resistance to manual forced-entry attempts.

ManualBurglar
05 / 09EU

EN 356

Classification of glazing resistant to manual attack, classes P1A to P8B. P6B, P7B and P8B classes are particularly relevant for RC4, RC5 and RC6 glazing.

P1A-P8BGlazing
06 / 09EU

EN 14179

Heat-soaked thermally toughened safety glass, applicable to RC5-RC6 glazed components.

HSTRC5-RC6
07 / 09DE

VdS 2534

German security standards, applicable in DACH jurisdictions.

DACHDE · AT · CH
08 / 09UK

LPS 1175

Loss Prevention Standards (UK), applicable in UK jurisdiction and on international projects that activate them.

UKInternational
09 / 09NL

SKG

Dutch certification for hardware and secured joinery.

NLHardware
06Plate 06 / 07, Distinction

What sets us apart.

Three elements structure our anti-intrusion practice. They converge toward the same promise: right-sized protection, design preserved, neutral coordination.

Our DNA, founder formula

Seventeen years in the envelope industry, including several years in pre-construction with a Tier-1 international contractor in glass envelope works.

This trajectory gives knowledge of what European secured-joinery supply chains actually produce, and of the margin that remains to preserve the architectural signature of a facade. We know how to design RC4-RC6 rated facades that look exactly like a standard facade.

01 / 03Right-sizing

Right-sized protection.

Over-investing costs and harms daily building use.

Our documented risk analysis allows right-sizing: no more, no less. Method discipline protects both budget and use value.

Risk-basedDocumented
02 / 03Design

Design integration.

Field knowledge of European secured-joinery supply chains.

We know how to design RC4-RC6 rated facades that look exactly like a standard facade, because seventeen years in pre-construction taught us what industrial supply chains actually produce, and where their aesthetic margin lies.

RevealsFinishesProportions
03 / 03Neutrality

Multi-expertise coordination.

No exclusive partnership with a manufacturer or glass processor.

On projects combining anti-intrusion, blast, fire and smart detection, technical and budgetary coherence across these registers is what makes the project tenable. We recommend the combination adapted to the project, from documented competitive benchmarking. See Technological neutrality.

Zero commissionOpen arbitration
07Plate 07 / 07, Confidentiality

Confidentiality, condition of practice.

Anti-intrusion missions on UHNWI residences, signature jewellery stores and banks are conducted under strict rules. Discretion is a condition of practice, not a commercial constraint.

NDA, isolation, no public reference

Systematic NDA before the first technical conversation. Dossier isolation within the atelier: only direct participants access deliverables. No public reference without explicit written consent of the owner.

08Plate 08 / 08, Articulation

Continue reading.

This specialty connects with our other expertises and engineering methods. Three canonical entries to calibrate a combined mission.

01 / 06Direct neighbour

Blast & ballistic resilience

Blast and ballistic design: ISO 16933/16934, UFC 4-010-01, GSA.

ISO 16933UFC 4-010-01GSA
En savoir plus
02 / 06Active coupling

Smart Skin & electrochromic

Dynamic facade: dynamic glass, BMS control, BACnet/KNX integration.

BMSBACnetKNX
En savoir plus
03 / 06Core

Technical engineering

Structural, thermal, computational, interface design: envelope engineering core.

SIAEurocodesDIN
En savoir plus
04 / 06Doctrine

Technological neutrality

No hidden commissions, no captive system: documented open arbitration.

Zero affiliationBenchmarking
En savoir plus
05 / 06Profile

Owners & investors

Owner profile: value protection, asset engineering, independent audits.

AssetAudit
En savoir plus
06 / 06Hub

SOTA expertises

Our eight state-of-the-art specialties on risk- or signature-grade typologies.

Hub8 specialties
En savoir plus

An RC-class project to instruct?

A UHNWI residence, a signature jewellery store, a bank, a museum or an institution to protect. Describe the context, the risk profile and the envisaged RC class. Systematic NDA from the first exchange. Absolute confidentiality.

Confidential brief
Shili & PartnersA Shili Build Ventures company