UK property firm Endurance Land, part of the Hong Kong-based property conglomerate Nan Fung Group, owns The Bailey, opposite the Old Bailey High Court in central London. Originally built in the early 20th century for a railway company, it has a Grade II listed façade. A larger ‘western extension’ was built in 1999 to City office standards.
Knight Harwood was recently commissioned to refurbish the site with architect Orms and building design consultancy GDM Partnership. The commercial site meets Grade A office specifications and has a platinum connectivity rating by WireScore, the Mayor of London’s digital connectivity rating scheme in 2020. Access and security management was part of the refurbishment brief; Knight Harwood stipulated a system that would ensure a free flow of users and tenants through reception, without crowding or queues.
This would need to include integrating intelligent lift controls, for users to swiftly reach their designated floor, besides a good visitor management system that all tenants could use without the need for a central security team to manage requests. Touchless access, and digital sign-in for users were also important.
An intercom or entry phone and access control operated doors were needed for disabled users accessing the building from a disabled parking bay, as well anyone arriving ‘out of hours’, or for trades people and deliveries. CCTV monitoring would be needed in strategic locations. Future proofing, including laying under-floor cables ready for entry turnstiles or speed lanes, was desired.
An NSI and Safe Contractor approved installer, Antron Security, project-managed the design, supply and installation of the access control and security system for The Bailey and acted as the ‘go to’ contact for Knight Harwood. Inner Range provided the core access and security management system, Integriti, that enabled Antron to build the bespoke solutions needed for The Bailey.
Richard Harvell, engineering director, at Knight Harwood, who managed the refurbishment at The Bailey, said: “Our key requirement was to be able to move users, including visitors, swiftly through reception to their correct floors with minimal or no touch points. And all without compromising security. Antron Security’s solution, which centred around Inner Range’s intelligent access control system Integriti, more than delivers. The high-level lift integration automatically directs users to the fastest lift for their floor, and only allows access beyond reception for those with bona fide credentials.
“We have been impressed with Integriti’s sophistication and integration capabilities, as well as Antron Security’s expertise and diligence in designing and installing our bespoke access and security system.”
Integriti integrates with Mitsubishi’s lift controls and Bluepoint’s visitor management system. The lifts are able to read credentials from proximity cards, or mobile phones, at a user check-in point at reception, or in the lift lobby. The lift integration with ‘destination control’ means the lift software takes into account where each of the building’s lifts are, where the user’s ‘home floor’ is, besides where other users are going or are 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 at reception, or in the lift lobby. If users are able to go to more than one floor, they can update their preference inside the lift.
Integriti also allowed Bluepoint’s visitor management system to integrate with the lifts. For visitors to access tenanted floors within the building, the following has to happen:
– A tenant creates the meeting via Bluepoint;
– An email is generated and sent to the visitor’s in-box where they can create a mobile QR code pass and save it to their smart phone wallet;
– When the visitor arrives, they use their mobile phone to scan the QR code in the Bluepoint invite at the reception desk to check-in;
– The reception team can then direct them to the Mitsubishi lifts, which display the lift car they need to get to their meeting;
– To leave, the visitor presents their QR code at the lift or door reader, which tells the system they’re leaving; and
– The QR codes are only valid for one entry and one exit, and only on the appointment date and at the planned appointment time. Afterwards, the QR code becomes invalid and is deleted from the system.
The QR code lets the visitor access the lifts and any locked doors en route. The integration between Integriti and Bluepoint’s visitor management system was through the Bluepoint API. Bluepoint is cloud-based, hosted on the Microsoft Azure platform.
CAME BPT entry panels were installed for disabled users to access the building near the disabled parking bay, or for delivery drivers to access doors at the rear of the building. The panels allow for a reliable and intuitive video entry intercom.
CCTV cameras from Hikvision have been installed throughout the site to create a hard-wired IP surveillance system. They are integrated with the Integriti access, which allows for intelligent ‘cause and effect’ monitoring. System protocols automatically bring up specific camera feeds for security managers to view in response to alerts, and footage can be viewed with other information from Integriti, such as if a door has been left open.
