Providing an integrated security solution for a central London office complex
Located just minutes away from London’s Holborn station, MidCity Place is an architecturally striking office building that has recently undergone a comprehensive refurbishment.
As part of this refurbishment project, the landlord sought to upgrade the building’s existing entrance control system which had become costly to maintain and run. They were also looking to refresh the whole look of the communal reception area utilising the latest security technology.
Following a successful tender process, security integrators – ISD Tech – put forward an entrance control solution featuring Fastlane turnstiles which could easily be integrated alongside the building’s existing access control system, as Nicky Stokes – Managing Director at ISD Tech – explains:
“As part of the tender process, we took the MidCity Place team to visit existing Fastlane installations in similar buildings around London. It was great to be able to show them how the turnstiles looked and operated and explain why they would be an ideal solution for their refurbished reception area.
“For this project, we specified Fastlane’s Glassgate 150 turnstiles and a Passgate 300 as the sleek design of the turnstiles was in keeping with the design of the reception area, providing a strong security presence without being imposing.”
The IDL sales team used a 3D modelling camera to provide our client with renders of how the turnstiles would look in situ. Using this technology was critical for the team at MidCity Place, enabling them to get an understanding of the size and style of the turnstiles, before committing to the project.
Commenting on this, John Austin – Regional Sales Manager (London) – at IDL said: “We have found that for many clients, being able to visualise how the turnstiles might look using 3D rendering technology has been a key part of their decision-making process. This technology can also help us to identify what adjustments might need to be made in order to ensure that our specified solution can fit into a particular space – all of this can be done before any work begins on-site.”
The Glassgate 150 turnstiles were supplied using stainless steel with a brushed stainless steel finish, featuring glass panels with dual swing glass barriers and built in card readers that were integrated with the building’s Genetec access control system.
The integrated approach also included a reader for bespoke QR codes allocated by the building reception to site visitors. These codes enable visitors to use the turnstiles without formal enrolment into the access control system and operate within a specific timeframe meaning once it expires, the visitor can not attempt re-entry at a later date unless it is a multiple-day visitor pass.
Alongside the four lanes of Glassgate 150s, ISD Tech also installed one lane of the Passgate 300 into the reception area. The Passgate 300 is a bi-directional, single swing glass barrier, which was installed as an extra-wide lane, making it ideally suited to those with reduced mobility and wheelchair users, as well as facilitating the easy movement of goods deliveries into and out of the building. The team also fitted a gate override button to the reception desk, allowing the receptionist to automatically unlock the gate in certain circumstances.
Nicky Stokes continues: “We’ve been working with IDL for a number of years and they are our preferred turnstiles manufacturer. We particularly value their pre-sales design assistance and the team are always flexible and reactive to the specific needs of our clients.
“We have attended their integrator training sessions so that our team are now familiar with their extensive product range and can commission and install all of the products with confidence.”
For more information about the Fastlane Glassgate 150 and Passgate range contact our team who would be happy to arrange a product demonstration or talk through your project requirements – +44 (0)20 8890 5550 or email info@fastlane-turnstiles.com
