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Access Control System Gives
Governmental Ministry Tenants Security From Top
To Bottom
Coquitlam, British Columbia
An access control system in a four-story building
built for use by several governmental ministries
provides protection for staff members as well as
limiting access to the lower-level parking garage.
As a further benefit, it eliminates key control
headaches by using personal magnetic cards for each
individual to restrict access by zone and time as
required.
 Chateau-style
office building houses several government ministries
in Coquitlam, B.C. Four-story, 21,000 sq. ft. structure
incorporates a Von Duprin 7000 System to control
access to individual offices and to several building
entrances.
The attractive French Colonial
building was styled for compatibility with a neighboring
residential area in the Vancouver suburb of Coquitlam.
Built and owned by Raven Construction Ltd., Burnaby,
B.C., the 21,000 sq. ft. structure was designed
for the British Columbia Buildings Corporation (BCBC).
It is occupied by several groups of The Province
of British Columbia's Ministry of Social Services,
as well as the British Columbia Mental Health Society.
To provide security for the people working in the
building while also allowing public access to some
offices during business hours, the builder installed
a Von Duprin 7000 System. This electronic access
control system provides a high degree of flexibility
in access methods, as well as zone and time control,
yet is easy to program. Because each office has
different requirements, key control would have become
very complicated. Instead, the 7000 System uses
the personal bank magnetic cards of authorized individuals
to grant each of them specific access rights. The
magnetic code on a person's card becomes his or
her distinctive access code, making it unnecessary
to issue special cards. Moreover, a person is less
likely to lose this type of card, lend it to someone
else or forget it at home than they would with a
single-purpose access card.
 Entry
to parking garage is secured by card reader (above),
which controls iron gate over opening. Gate
closes automatically after car enters, and another
card reader opens an inside door to the office building.
For offices that need to be
open to the public during specific hours, the system
automatically unlocks and locks the appropriate
doors. At all other times, and always on non-public
offices, the magnetic card readers must be used
to gain access. A total of 15 readers are positioned
strategically throughout the building. These readers
control front-door access after hours, as well as
access from stairway doors to specific offices,
preventing unauthorized individuals from entering
restricted areas. In addition, a card is necessary
to gain access to the lower-level parking garage,
which normally is secured by a sliding iron gate.
This prevents someone from entering the garage area
or following a person into the open garage. The
gate closes after a car enters, and a sensor cord
across the driveway inside the garage also opens
the gate when a car leaves. Another card reader
guards the entry door from the garage into the building.
The system is easily programmed to allow staff members
from different groups access only to their own offices,
as well as during varying time periods. It can accommodate
different hours for various offices, as well as
more flexible access for supervisors, for example.
For cleaning services or other outsiders, it can
be programmed to allow access only during the hours
and days that person needs to be there. If a person
quits, a contractor is changed or a repair job is
finished, that person's card is quickly invalidated
so future access is denied.
Installation of the system was completed prior to
the building's official occupancy in August, 1992,
and its operation since then has been satisfactory,
according to Nick Ranzoni, a partner in Raven Construction
Ltd. The building was designed by D.M. Sarter Architects,
Burnaby, B.C., with the Von Duprin system furnished
through representative CanCoast Hardware Agencies
Ltd., Richmond, B.C. and distributor Accurate Door
& Hardware Ltd., Burnaby. Installation was by
K.C. Electric Ltd., Surrey, B.C.
Other significant features of the building include
an elevator lobby/safe area where people with disabilities
can gather and wait for rescue in case of fire or
when it would be unsafe to use the elevators. The
area is designed to withstand fire for two hours.
The building also provides entrances on two levels
for those with limited mobility and recently won
a City of Coquitlam mayor's award for accessibility
for handicapped persons, Ranzoni notes.
It is a non-smoking building but features a covered
outdoor tower area that provides an area with air
circulation and protection from the elements where
smokers can gather.
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