A 12 month contract to design, install, integrate and commission South Bank Tower’s electronic security, telephony and ICT systems onto a single, centrally managed IP backbone has gone to NG Bailey’s IT Services division.
The contract was awarded to NG Bailey by main contractor Mace, which has been working on the London redevelopment at the site since 2013. Built in 1972, South Bank Tower was formerly home to IPC Media and was widely depicted in publisher’s flagship science fiction comic, 2000AD, as the ‘nerve centre’ of Tharg the Mighty, the title’s fictional alien editor.
NG Bailey will fit a consolidated network design which integrates four separate systems to create a bespoke solution for the premises. The building’s landlord ICT system and landlord and tenant electronic security system will both be integrated onto a central LAN supported by Cisco Power over Ethernet switches. This will enable each of the network’s end-devices, including door locks, intercom systems, CCTV cameras, IP phones and Wi-Fi access points, to draw power directly over the cabling system, reducing overall consumption and eliminating the need to install myriad power sockets around the building, the installer says.
On completion of the installation, South Bank Tower will have a purpose-designed, IP-converged electronic security system for access control and intruder detection, with a Wi-Fi data access system and centralised landlord telephony. A satellite communications system has also been integrated that transmits TV and radio throughout the building into each apartment using fibre optic cabling.
The IP convergence of these systems should enable savings in cost and maintenance the firm says, thanks to the ‘one network’ architecture and the reductions in energy consumption brought about by the innovative Power over Ethernet approach.
Indi Sall, technical director of NG Bailey’s IT Services division, says: “As the UK’s leading authority on intelligent IP building systems design, implementation and management, our team is perfectly positioned to shepherd South Bank Tower through this journey of transformation.
“We have vast experience in both the legacy analogue systems and the new converged world of IP, so we understand the common technical challenges faced on the road to creating a fully intelligent building infrastructure. It’s a shame Tharg the Mighty is a fictional character; I think he’d approve of what we’re doing to his nerve-centre!”
George Kyriacou, managing director of CIT, the independent private equity real estate business behind South Bank Tower, says: “NG Bailey brought together a number of packages in order to design a solution that best suited the needs of our building. By adopting this no-compromise approach, NG Bailey will enable us to provide an environment that not only saves us money, but also allows the building’s residents to work smarter, more efficiently and more securely than before.
“Once the building is fully commissioned and the systems are fully operational, we can then start transforming the way the building operates, based on data collected from these systems. We expect to use this data to inform management decisions on how the building can operate with greater efficiency, safety and with less negative impact on the environment.”
As part of the deal, South Bank Tower’s IT interface and end devices (apart from its fire and life safety systems and building management system), will be managed by NG Bailey; an arrangement that reduces the number of contractors required after the installation phase, and the time required to manage them. Pictured: the working deck slipform rig.
