Overview
ISO 22359:2024 - Security and resilience - Guidelines for hardened protective shelters provides non‑prescriptive guidance for the design, commissioning, use and maintenance of hardened protective shelters. It covers layout, structural and building systems, protective equipment and operational actions needed to isolate occupants and critical functions from hazardous environments. The standard is a practical reference for civil protection, emergency planners, designers and facility operators; it does not set minimum technical specifications or apply to rapidly erected temporary shelters or the additional requirements that apply to military shelters.
Key topics and technical scope
ISO 22359:2024 organizes guidance across the full shelter lifecycle:
- Design process and design criteria
- Hazard assessment and selection of general parameters
- Type, purpose and siting considerations
- Shelter layout and sections
- Entrance/exit passages, living, service and technical sections
- Structural design
- Principles for reinforced concrete and bedrock shelters and load considerations
- Mechanical systems (HVAC, water, sewage)
- Ventilation, air conditioning and life‑support considerations for extended occupancy
- Electrical and electronic systems
- Power generation, communications, situational awareness, EMP/IEMI considerations and monitoring/control
- Protective equipment
- Blast protection, gastightness, tightness at penetrations, ground‑shock isolation, CBRN measures and CO2/O2 management
- Safety, security and fire safety
- Commissioning, activation, use, deactivation and maintenance
- Sheltering cycles, normal vs crisis time use, modifications and service‑life considerations
- Informative annexes: sheltering modes and examples of shelter types
Note: The standard provides guidance rather than prescriptive thresholds or material specifications.
Practical applications
ISO 22359 is intended to guide decisions where hardened protective sheltering is required to sustain life, protect people, assets or critical infrastructure during disasters (natural, industrial or conflict‑related). Typical uses include:
- Planning and specifying civil protection shelters in urban or industrial contexts
- Designing hardened spaces for hospitals, data centers, control rooms and industrial command centers
- Developing operational procedures for shelter activation, maintenance and lifecycle management
- Advising equipment suppliers and contractors on shelter systems and integration
Who should use this standard
- Local, regional and national governments and civil protection agencies
- Emergency managers and first responders
- Architects, structural and MEP engineers, shelter designers and contractors
- Facility managers, critical infrastructure operators and equipment suppliers
Related standards and guidance
ISO 22359 complements other ISO and sectoral guidance on security, resilience, emergency management and technical codes. Users should align shelter design and operation with applicable national regulations and industry‑specific standards (building codes, CBRN guidance, electrical and HVAC codes).
Keywords: ISO 22359:2024, hardened protective shelters, shelter design guidelines, blast resistant, gastight shelter, CBRN protection, shelter maintenance, civil protection.
