CASE STUDIES 30 ST MARY AXE (THE GHERKIN) BACKGROUND TO THE END USER The 180-metre, 40-storey structure was designed by one of the world’s leading architects, Lord Foster and has become an iconic feature on the London skyline since it was built in 2004. It is the city’s first ecological tall building, being an energy-conscious enclosure that allows column-free floor space and views. The multi tenanted site has several unusual security challenges as it is open throughout the year and accommodates separate different tenants with different security needs along with regular visits from the public to the bars and restaurants on the higher floors of the building. The project was to migrate the entire analogue CCTV system of over 100+ cameras to a digital platform with integration of intercom and access control systems for the whole site. CHALLENGES AND ISSUES THAT THE CUSTOMER FACED With an upcoming visit from the Queen the upgrading of the systems was extremely time sensitive and had to accommodate the normal activities of the site without disruption. The existing systems needed to remain operational during the transition from analogue to digital which was conducted over a staged and planned weekend migration. The site operational 24hours a day, every day of the year which meant that all works needed to be completed with minimal disruption to the day to day running of the site. Manufacturer reliability – The reliability of the external perimeter domes was very poor with over 50% failures due to mechanical faults. These form the first layer of security for the site and need to be operational 24/7/365. With members of the public visiting the site on a daily basis the existing systems on the tenanted floors needed to remain operational and retain functionality through the migration. SOLUTIONS PROVIDED BY UNIVERSAL Universal pre built all equipment off site and worked out of hour’s to ensure this very prestigious site was not disrupted during the rebuild of the control room. Universal engineers re-built the external cameras and installed temporary cameras to cover the areas whilst re-programming and re-writing the manufacturers’ software and firmware to ensure smooth seamless operation and minimized downtime. Universal implemented a staged and planned migration over a weekend that reduced disruption and minimised downtime where the two systems were run concurrently until the legacy access control systems had been phased out. RESULTS THE CUSTOMER GAINED Initially an analogue system Universal deployed a migration from the existing 100 cameras onto an IP based solution to save the client money, offer greater flexibility, improved system reliability, resilience and redundancy. The new IP video wall is based on Indigo Vision’s Control Centre Enterprise IP video and alarm management software which is giving the client video footage at 6 fps with a 30-day retention period. The control software offers facilities managers at 30 St Mary Axe extremely fast incident review using motion thumbnails and the distributed architecture means that site information changes are automatically communicated to all operatives. In commercial terms the value proposition in the installation has been Universal’s use of Indigo Vision transmitter/receivers units to encode footage from existing analogue dome and PTZ cameras into IP streams, so allowing the client to use a superior video management system without camera obsolescence. Recording is to 10-channel rack NVRs, also from Indigo Vision. Camera signals are being transmitted to the encoders over unshielded twisted pair (UTP) equipment which is contributing to the delivery of clean, noise-free images to the control room staff. SYSTEMS AND MANUFACTURERS INSTALLED: This resulted in a complete redesign of the control room to an IP based video wall solution based on the consultants design of the Indigo Vision’s Control Centre Enterprise IP video and alarm management software. The system runs on a purpose designed network that carries high resolution CCTV from over 100 cameras to the new security control centre, purpose designed and built by Universal. The access control is designed around a secure Honeywell Pro-Watch card system which integrates with the intercom and CCTV. Over 100 cameras are connected via encoders to the bespoke network, designed and certified by the engineering team. This means that each camera runs on a single RJ45 connection to the recording system. Any changes are managed through the plug and play functionality giving the client a system that is quick and simple to change or extend, with no compromise in image quality or speed of recording. AWARDS This project was one of the references for the Security Excellence Awards in 2008 for customer support and then again in 2010 following a system migration. Universal Security Systems won the Large Installer of the Year award in both years (2008 and 2010). SERVICES DESIGN SERVICES PROJECTS DELIVERY SERVICES NETWORK SOLUTIONS TEAM SERVICES SUPPORT HOW CAN WE HELP? Please click here to leave us a message and one of our team will contact you. Company Accreditations Awards Cyber Security Anti-Slavery Policy Environmental Policy Services Design Projects Delivery Network Solutions Team Support Customers Customer Testimonials Case Studies Technologies Partners Head Office (UK) Mint Business Park Butchers Road London E16 1PW Tel: +44(0)20 7511 8080 Fax: +44(0)20 7511 8081 ©2015 Universal Security Systems A Harper Morgan website