Canterbury College enhances campus security with Fastlane turnstiles
To increase security on campus and help safeguard students and staff at Canterbury College, Fastlane turnstiles have been installed by Telepen – one of our key installation partners – at the entrance to the College’s main teaching building.
The design of the entrance is open plan and boasts an impressive glass façade. In such a large, open plan area, it can be difficult to control pedestrian access and, in the past, it has been too easy for unauthorised individuals to gain entry to the facility. Director of Estates for East Kent College Group, Stewart Haywood, wanted an entrance control solution which could monitor the access of authorised users without causing inconvenience, prevent unauthorised individuals from gaining entry and complement the design of the building.
Stewart comments: “Canterbury College was a very open site from an access point of view. There have been occasions in the past when unwanted visitors have gained access and I wanted to put a stop to this. During certain times of the day, the site experiences high footfall with up to 2,500 people passing through this main entrance. I needed an entrance control solution which could deal with this level of footfall, was not overly obtrusive and suited the light and open feel of the environment.”
Looking for a highly visible yet still attractive security option, three lanes of Glassgate 400s with 1.5m barriers were chosen and installed in December 2018.
“After a lot of research, I came across Telepen – who are access control specialists in the education sector – and the Fastlane Glassgate 400 turnstile, both ideally suiting our service and product requirements,” continues Stewart. “I liked the Glassgate 400 model as it provides a clear physical and psychological deterrent for unauthorised users, yet it doesn’t look too heavy duty and the glass barriers and steel finish suits the building environment. It can also process users quickly, so our students and staff can gain access without disruption to their day.”
“We worked closely with Stewart at Canterbury College and the team at IDL to ensure the best solution was installed, providing a more secure environment for students to learn and staff to teach,” comments Kevin Sontag, Sales Account Manager at Telepen. “Liaising with the College’s existing access control maintainers, card readers were seamlessly integrated with the turnstiles and the new system was up and running rapidly. The turnstiles are mounted on a plinth, so as not to disturb or require any work to the floor. All system cabling is contained and routed within the plinth.”
Phil Allen, Regional Sales Manager (UK & Eire) at Integrated Design Limited, adds: “We’re seeing increasing numbers of Colleges and Universities installing entrance control systems. Physical security of this kind reassures parents that the safety of students is taken seriously, and staff feel more secure in their place of work. Getting a balance between security and user experience is always a consideration though, as no one wants to feel like they are entering a prison. The Glassgate 400 puts a stop to unauthorised entries without authorised users feeling like their movements are being hindered or compromising the open feel of the atrium style entrance.”
“I’ve only received positive feedback since the turnstiles have been installed, with people commenting that they aren’t at all obtrusive and they do the job they were intended for, so I’m happy,” concludes Stewart.
To find out more about the Fastlane range of products, or to arrange a live demonstration of our products at our facility in West London, please contact our team by calling +44 (0)208 890 5550 or send us an email to info@fastlane-turnstiles.com
To find out more about Telepen, call Tel: +44 (0)1582 769991 or email sales@telepen.co.uk
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