Enhanced Entrance Control in Refurbished Government Hub

The modern New Waverley Grade A offices are in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. They form as part of the World Heritage Zone. Offering 250,000 square feet of space, the office serves as a government hub. What’s more, it houses nearly 3000 civil servants from 11 different departments.

Challenge

A large number of employees and visitors need access to New Waverley’s offices every day for different purposes. This means it is key for the client to have something in place that could control the flow of authorised users getting in and out. And, with this being a large project, the client faced having multiple contractors on-site while the refurbishment took place. Because of this, they were keen to reduce disruption where possible.

Solution

Meesons was able to help the client overcome their challenges for this project due to experience working on seven regional government hubs previous to New Waverley. When securing the entrances, EasyGate SPT Speed Gates were placed in two levels in the building. Ten lanes of speed gates were required to provide sufficient security. This included eight standard-width lanes and two EA-compliant wide access lanes for wheelchair access. It also featured 1500mm high glass wings in order to prevent attempts of climbing over, while also acting as a deterrent to intruders.

The Easygate SPT was ideal for the high volume of people using the speed gates. It can allow 40 people through per minute. The solution also has a holding force of 650N, reducing the risk of the wings being forced open by intruders.

The client required the speed gates to be controlled centrally to enable reception staff to operate the speed gates if needed. Meesons delivered this to the client due to installing an EasyTouch Control Panel at the reception desk. To enhance the user experience of the speed gates even further, LED Edge Lights were incorporated into the speed gate cabinets. Doing so ensures staff can quickly identify the status of each lane.

Results

It was key for the client that New Waverley had a system in place to cope with their high volume of staff and visitors coming in and out safely. With the EasyGate SPT Speed Gates, Meesons were able to provide this for the building. When it came to installation, the solution was installed over two separate phases to reduce the disruption for the client.

Project Facts

• Client
  New Waverley
• Sector
  Critical National Infrastructure
• Location
  Edinburgh, Scotland
• Area
  250,000 sq ft
• Product
  Easygate SPT