Month: July 2019

Security – what’s next?

2019 ASIAL show, ICC Darling Harbour

Strata Schemes are basically the Luddites of the built environment. Older buildings have very little that is ‘smart’ about them and builders/developers (particularly when it’s a design/construct contract and cheap/cost-effective is the only option) are generally not incentivised to install the latest and greatest technology into buildings.

The current status quo is a shame; there is amazing technology out there and on the way that strata buildings could be taking advantage of, to manage security, control costs, monitor building health and greatly enhance the resident experience.

Yesterday I attended the Australian Security Industry Association Ltd (ASIAL) conference in Darling Harbour, which runs annually and is great to get an insight into what security technology is in the market and what is on the horizon. Thank you to our friends at Quorum Security Systems for the tour.

Some highlights with potential uses for strata buildings/community schemes:

Robot Sentry

Yes – this looks like a Dalek, but that’s kinda the fun of it.

Dalek/sentry.

Perfect for checking car parks and large flat outdoor areas, particularly at night. Could take the place of a need for having multiple security guards onsite.

Future potential uses I can see for this technology at buildings include checking plant and equipment is operating properly, administering move-ins, checking by-law breaches, cleaning standards (or doing the cleaning?), etc.

Keys as a service

Not a great photo – but you get the picture!

This is interesting tech – doing away with keys/swipes for entering buildings and using facial recognition to gain entry. This gives much greater security and assists management with knowing who is who in a building, particularly if there is an incident.

Secondly, the days of the intercom as we know it are numbered (along with associated cabling throughout a building).

With some new internet-connected door stations, there is no need for a connection to apartments – the request goes over the internet and to an internet-connected handset, or to a phone/tablet anywhere in the world. This is exciting technology, which will offset capital costs for developers and future owners and give a huge amount of flexibility in granting entry to a building. There are many potential applications for this; getting away from building keys/swipes is the future.

CCTV – Video Analytics

Video analytics technology in action

This is pretty amazing tech – watching it in action at ASIAL reminded me of the Will Smith “Enemy of the State” movie (ha – how is that 20 years old!).

The video analytics software now on the market really needs to be seen to be believed. Instead of someone needing to spend hours reviewing footage, potentially on multiple cameras – the analytics behind it can be used to pick up all instances of a person or a thing occurring (e.g. a package being on a table and) and it will continue to drill down based on the information you give it.

Obviously, the concern here from a residential perspective is privacy concerns, however, used properly and within defined boundaries – this could serve to greatly increase security and augment the ability to manage buildings.

Garage Entry

The future is Number-plate recognition or RFID windshield tags.

This technology is now hugely reliable and more cost-effective than your average sensor/remote system.

Number-plate recognition would be my choice, given the flexibility of controlling visitors parking and also having all cars in a database. Anything that helps with the dreaded visitors parking! There is a degree of management involved with such a system (which should be minimal after a building is settled given residents don’t change that often), but once established it should be no harder than programming and issuing passes/remotes and can be done remotely, in an instant.

RFID window tags are great as they are very cheap (about $6 versus a remote costing $50+). These can also be administered remotely, however, a physical tag must be issued in the first instance.

I look forward to sharing these insights with owners and developers – we can’t be far away from seeing this technology as standard in new buildings. Access control and a basic CCTV system doesn’t cut it anymore!

Better building handover

I am not going to start on building defects – that is a topic much maligned by the media at the moment (who are having a feeding frenzy on Mascot Towers after the Opal Tower hysteria died down).

Instead, I am making a list (which I intend to update over time) of some typical oversights I see from builder/developers in the handover of strata buildings to the strata manager and the owners corporation. When considered as part of the development process and during construction, all of these things are cost-effective or free. Some will be relevant for all buildings, where others will not.

We work with builders/developers closely to ensure that these matters are thought through, early in the piece.

Mailbox Locations – Put them in a central/secure area. Australia post permits and encourages this for multi-residential. The next wave to think about is parcel delivery and we are working on solutions for unstaffed buildings (without a full-time building manager/concierge).

Colour coded/secure letterboxes at nook apartments Wickham.

Cleaners Room – Does the location make sense? Is there adequate space in the room for storage? Space to wash a mop? Proper drainage?

Facade and Garden Access – If height access equipment is needed to access the facade/windows and certain gardens, anchor points should be installed. If these aren’t there at handover, there’s no ability for the OC to maintain and a new building starts to look terrible whilst the argument over who is to install them takes place.

Access control/keys – The ability to program access devices onsite or remotely is key (pun intended), along with ensuring that we know who receives what device (so these can be removed from the system down the track if a person has left the building/not returned the device, lost the device, etc). Restricted key systems are good in some ways (security and the ease of having specific keys cut down the track) and a burden in others (locked into a specific locksmith, delays in obtaining keys). I see key/access device technology changing in the near future with phone/voice/facial recognition becoming more common. Ideally, access control equipment and CCTV equipment is wired to a secure central location.

CCTV – The installation of cameras in the focal areas of a building is cost effective and incredibly important. At a minimum, the garage entrance, any foyer entrances, the mailboxes, and any common recreation areas should be covered. CCTV is a great deterrent to bad behaviour and a potential audit trail when things go wrong. Speak to my friends at Quorum Security.

Security control room at Hope Island. Hope Island is managed by Cambridge Management Services.

Keyboxes/Remote Access – How do contractors get onsite in the event of an emergency or when (if one is appointed) a building manager is not there? It’s vital to have a secure keybox onsite to get people into the building.

Internet – Nearly every building should have an internet connection! Programming devices offsite, remotely viewing CCTV footage, administering a digital display/noticeboard, shared internet connection for common areas, building management – these are some of the many reasons you would have the internet at a building.

Noticeboards – Ideally installed in a central area, such as the lift or car park. Down the back of the garbage room isn’t ideal.

This is how you do noticeboards for foyers (don’t mind the cords – this is just testing in the office).

Lift Curtains – If the building has a lift, lift curtains must be provided from the start to prevent damage (particularly with the huge influx of residents moving in the first few months).

Lift Cabling – It’s inordinately expensive to have a lift company run data cable to a lift for access control or CCTV once a lift is in-situ and operating. If it’s provisioned during the construction phase, it’s very inexpensive.

Moving Plans – What is the plan for residents to move in – times/days/how many at once, etc? You can administer this well through the use of BuildingLink

Signage and Communications – Whilst building operation may seem plainly obvious to a builder/developer, to many residents it may not be. Proper signage/instructions for contacts, moving, rubbish, etc is vital.

Bins – Speak with Council (or private waste provider if non-Council collection) as early as possible to ensure that bins arrive well before residents do.

Retail Lots – Where there are retail lots at a scheme a fit-out guide should be designed and relevant by-laws put in place. This protects the individual interests of the retail/residential owners.