In the City of London, 77 Coleman Street is a multi-tenant office set over seven floors, and down the road from Moorgate Tube station.
The building is one of the few in the UK to achieve a platinum connectivity rating by WiredScore, the Mayor of London’s digital connectivity rating scheme. BNP Paribas acts as the managing agent, for the property developer Kajima Properties. A re-development was designed by architect Buckley Gray Yeoman. That included new external facades and floors of new office space, and 16,000 sq ft of retail, leisure and restaurant space. As for access control, like other mixed-use sites it called for a system to allow authorised users and visitors access through reception and lifts to their location. Products had to fit in with the overall minimalist design. This needed to be linked to a wider security management system including CCTV. Managers wanted to keep any waiting in reception to a minimum to avoid crowding; besides giving access for disabled users; and, not least, entry was to be touchless. As for managing visitors, an entry phone and door automation would be required for anyone out of hours, or at the rear of the property, such as for deliveries and trades people with equipment.
Integration
NSI-approved installer Antron Security project managed the design, supply and install of the access control and security system for 77 Coleman Street. Inner Range provided the core access and security management system, Integriti. KONE lift ‘destination control’ was managed by Integriti access control, interfaced with speed lane turnstiles from Integrated Design Limited (IDL), pictured, proximity cards and Forge’s Bluepoint management system. The building’s 2000-plus regular users are issued secure proximity cards, carrying encrypted information about when and where the user is allowed to go. Cards are presented to readers embedded in bespoke entry turnstiles, which also allows them to be read by the KONE lift integration. The lift integration software takes into account where each of the building’s four lifts are, where the user’s ‘home floor’ is, besides where other users are going/due to go, and calculates the quickest lift for the new user. The user is directed to the most efficient lift via a display screen on the turnstile. If users are able to go to more than one floor, they can update their preference in the lift.
Reception area
Turnstile pedestals, with a separate glass gate were used for a reception area where space was limited but including disabled access. IDL’s Glassgate 200 opens away from the user, and closes behind, to combat tail-gaters entering after a legitimate user. Readers for proximity cards and QR codes were set into the speed lanes to create a flow through reception.
On a visit
For visitors to access tenanted floors; a tenant creates the meeting via Bluepoint. An email is generated and sent to the visitor’s inbox where they can create a mobile QR code pass and save it to their smart phone wallet. The visitor arrives; they scan their QR code on their smart phone at the reception desk, and their QR code becomes valid on the Integriti access control system. A visitor is then able to enter via IDL’s speed lane turnstiles, and they directed by the lift display to which lift car they need. To leave, the visitor presents their QR code at the turnstile, which tells the system they’re leaving. A QR code is only valid for one entry and one exit, and only on the appointment date and at the planned time. Afterwards, the QR code becomes invalid and is deleted. The integration between Integriti and Forge’s Bluepoint visitor management system was achieved with an XML read/write interface, as well as API integration between a SQL database and a cloud-hosted VMS database based on Microsoft Azure cloud platform.
Entry phone
A BTP XIP intercom was fitted to allow visitors out-of-hours to contact Security, or for deliveries. The XIP uses an ethernet distribution network, so itcan be expanded, and it’s possible to install long-distance connections that data networks can’t reach. CCTV cameras from Hikvision made a hard-wired IP video system. They are integrated with Integriti, for ‘cause and effect’ monitoring. System protocols automatically bring up specific camera feeds for managers to view in response to alerts, and footage can be viewed with other info from Integriti, such as if a door has been left open.
What they say
Jamie Crane, Commercial Director at Antron Security, said: “The flexibility of Inner Range’s Integriti access control system and Forge’s Bluepoint visitor management allowed us to incorporate high-level lift integration (known as ‘destination control’). Together, they create a future-proof solution as we can continue to meet the ever-changing requirements of the landlord and tenants via our ability to integrate with third party systems and devices such as lifts, intercoms, lighting and building management devices.”
