The Client:
The ExtraCare Charitable Trust is committed to developing inspirational villages for the over 55s, as an alternative to the traditional care home. Their innovative retirement villages enable older people to enjoy healthy, active and independent lifestyles in their later years.
ExtraCare retirement villages are not just about providing new places to live. They’re about giving their residents a new lease of life.
System Requirements:
Opened in 2015, Bournville Gardens Retirement Village is part of the £60 million College Green development that provides 212 spacious homes set within a stunning complex, an 80 bed care home and a health and well-being centre. The facilities are at the heart of this state-of-the-art, sustainable community that benefits over 300 older people, encouraging social and active participation amongst all age groups within the local neighbourhood.
Communication and Security System experts – TIS (Total Integrated Solutions) – invested several years of design work including demonstrations, technical submissions, consultations and value engineering, resulting in the development and eventual installation of their award-winning fully-integrated fire and security converged infrastructure.
The Solution:
A key element of the overallsolution was to provide a fully-integrated intercom and access control system which was extremely user-friendly for the village’s residents, staff and visitors.
TIS worked in partnership with CIE’s system architecture team to design an IP intercom system utilising the building’s fibre optic network infrastructure. The solution employed a combination of 2N Helios IP Force and Vario Intercom devices and 2N’s latest ‘My2N’ Mobile Video smartphone application.
Seamless integration with the building’s IP PBX allows visitors to use the 2N IP Force outdoor intercoms positioned at the car park barriers to call site administration staff. In addition, IP Vario intercoms positioned at the main & secondary entrances allow visitors to remotely contact both admin staff and residents in their apartments. Should the resident be away from their apartment, the intercom calls can also be routed to staff or residents’ Wi-Fi-enabled PDAs, tablets and mobile phones with both audio and video capability.
The 2N Intercom devices feature clear, concise pictograms and labelling, allowing the units to be operated by wheelchair users and poorly sighted residents and visitors. Access methods include: RFID card, keypad, digital phone book and dedicated buttons for Reception, Security and Care Team.
Video from the intercoms’ cameras is also fed into the building’s TV distribution system and is available on residents’ TVs when their apartment is called.
To satisfy the data protection requirements, the video feed is only available once the call button has been pressed. This allows the resident to view the image before deciding whether or not to answer the call or open the door.
Industry Award-winning Project
TIS’s ‘Smart Building Converged Infrastructure’ solution for Bournville Gardens recently won the prestigious ‘Combined Security & Fire Solution of the Year’ at the Security & Fire Excellence Awards 2016 for its security, fire and communications infrastructure which is cost effective and designed to future proof the installation. Congratulations to the team!
