To call the existing security measures at One Portland Square complicated would have been an understatement.
April 23, 2007 - Facilities Management
To call the existing security measures at One Portland Square complicated would have been an understatement. Occupants who wanted to enter the 10-story, 200,000-square-foot building or a sister building had to deal with an outdated access control system for the perimeter doors, a stand-alone keypad-activated access control device in the stairs between floors and elevators, and manual keypad access for ground-level stairwells.
Employees had to carry an access card as well as memorize two different codes that changed frequently. Property managers knew they could do better. In upgrading the building’s security system, the goal was to replace the three older systems with one sophisticated, integrated system that allowed employees to use one card to gain access to all areas.
A state-of-the-art BACnet access control system from Delta Controls improved both scalability and user-friendliness. With the new system, the property management company no longer has to change codes with every employee change or track down stairwell keys from tenants and vendors. One access card now gives tenants full access to both buildings without requiring them to memorize different codes.
Control has improved as well. Property managers can isolate floors more readily and tailor access per employee by floor, by building, by time of day, or by day of the year. Finally, each employee card is programmed so that, during unoccupied times, tenants can gain access through the perimeter doors and elevators but are restricted only to floors that they are authorized to access.
“We now have more control of our security system and a significantly higher level of comfort in knowing that public access to our buildings is limited to those with specific authorization,” says Patricia Weimer, senior vice president of BCIA Portland Management Company.
