by Brianna Crandall — March 13, 2013—ASSA ABLOY security solutions have been specified for several major projects in recent weeks, including Scandinavia’s largest convention center, a top-of-the-line national arena in Stockholm, one of London’s most iconic business districts, and a major university in England.
Scandinavia’s largest convention center, Stockholm International Fairs, in älvsjö outside Stockholm, annually attracts 10,000 exhibitors and over 1.5 million visitors from around the globe to its 70 trade fairs and 20 international conventions. ASSA ABLOY company ASSA’s ARX access control system with Aperio wireless card readers on the doors was chosen to meet a variety of access requirements with a minimum of hassle.
ARX is a networked system of card readers, entry phones and more, managed by a computer monitoring system that gives access to all parts of the convention center. A security alarm, fire alarm and entry phones are all integrated, and access cards can be manufactured on site, with any desired authorization level. This flexible access control system reportedly suits Stockholm International Fairs, where the building’s configuration is constantly changing.
The new Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, is a top-of-the-line national arena opened at the end of 2012 that seats over 50,000 people for sporting events and 65,000 people for concerts and measures 55 meters high and 100,000 square meters in area. The world-class, modern arena chose ASSA ABLOY to supply its ASSA dp cylinder locks to thousands of doors in the arena, along with the ASSA ARX access control system.
The flexible ARX system reportedly fits the needs of the Friends Arena, practically eliminating the need for staff to use keys in the building, although some technical areas and other doors with less traffic still need a mechanical lock system for the best security. The arena’s managers say the ARX access control system is easy to manage in the dynamic arena, where the security is set up differently depending on each event and it must be possible to evacuate the whole arena in six minutes.
Previously derelict docklands, London’s Canary Wharf in the U.K. is now one of the city’s most iconic business districts, with 15 million square feet of prime office, retail and leisure space. Owner and developer Canary Wharf Group purchased more than 700 steel door sets from ASSA ABLOY Security Doors for its 23-story office building at 25 Churchill Place.
Designed specifically for the office building, the heavy-duty ASSA ABLOY Security Doors are fire, acoustic and blast-rated, with electrohydraulic door automatics to cope with the expected heavy traffic. To comply with fire safety requirements, roller-shutter doors were installed to provide additional security after business hours. Specially designed steel doors with a flush astragal profile were used on all main access routes, reducing vulnerability to attacks and increasing efficiency and safety by restricting the passage of heat and smoke between the various areas of the building.
Liverpool University in Merseyside, U.K., recently opened its Vine Court sustainable residences. The BREEAM Excellent-certified project comprises shops, a 250-seat restaurant and 749 en-suite bedrooms, and features rainwater harvesting, solar thermal water heating and low-energy lighting and heating systems. The university chose to install around 1000 of ASSA ABLOY’s Aperio offline escutcheons with Mifare RFID technology in the residences.
Aperio was selected because of its innovative design and ability to enable wireless links to the existing Aperio Gateway System (AGS) access control system, which can encompass hard-wired, wireless and fire-free access control, without any need to modify the doors. The Aperio escutcheons with Mifare RFID technology, which look like other door handles in the new building, allow free egress via the lock handle with the client’s preferred Mifare credentials. The system can be migrated to Desfire or Aperio wireless online at a later date without changing door hardware.
