The client
Plaisir is a vibrant town, located 20 miles from Paris
in the Ile-de-France region of France. Plaisir has the seventh largest
population in the Yvelines area, with over 50% of its inhabitants in work and
30% under the age of 19. The town has 1,254 companies making it an attractive
and innovative hub for businesses. Its high-quality sporting and cultural
facilities offer Plaisir’s residents a wide variety of daily activities (e.g.
Palais des Sports Pierre de Coubertin: a multisport facility with around 8,000
members; Espace Coluche Theatre: a cultural centre with a large 868-seat
auditorium). The educational infrastructure of the town has the capacity to
educate over 5,500 pupils across 33 schools and colleges. Plaisir has also
successfully preserved its heritage such as its castle (listed as a historical
monument) and benefits from a high standard of living.
The situation
The town of Plaisir wanted to create a major cultural
centre with a regional influence worthy of a city with 32,000 inhabitants. In
2003 it started the complete refurbishment of the old “Espace Coluche”,
originally designed as a mixed-use facility (culture and sport) which no longer
complied with security standards.
The new “Espace Coluche” Theatre is a building with a floor space of 5430
square metres spread over three floors and is home to three different cultural
centres. The largest is the 868-seat theatre and its associated facilities
(administration, reception, entertainers accommodation, dressing rooms and
restrooms) covering a surface area of approximately 3650 square metres; the Clé
des Champs, occupies 540 square metres and houses a large hall with standing
space for 300 people, 2 recording studios and an "acoustic and convivial" bar
area and facilities (administrative offices, technical control rooms, ticketing
counter, dressing rooms); the third entity is a dance school covering 837 square metres. The remaining floor space is made up of "technical" rooms and staff
accommodation occupied by the facility caretaker.
The “Espace Coluche” Theatre was opened on 20th October 2006. Refurbishment
of the security system was completed in April 2009.
The customer's expectations
A key element of the building’s
security was to replace the old, faulty security system and integrate it with
the building’s fire system to meet insurance requirements. The council also
wanted to reduce its security costs, in particular monitoring costs associated
with the protection of its multiple centre facility. This required a security
system capable of functioning in a multi-group setting.
Due to the building's diverse range of users, each requiring access to
different areas of the building depending on their specific needs, the security
solution needed an effective access control system.
Other important criteria were to find a security installation company that
could be both responsive and flexible in meeting the needs of the project, and
was also capable of completing the installation on time, in compliance with
certain time constraints i.e. completing the work during the school holidays
only and taking into account theatre rehearsal and performance times. It was
therefore essential that the security system be proven and reliable, as well as
being easy to install with the flexibility to adapt to the building’s complex
configuration.
The solution
Following an invitation to tender, the town of
Plaisir awarded the contract for the installation of the "Espace Coluche"
Theatre's new security system to security installation company - Alarme Chez
Vous (ACV). ACV won the contract based on its experience and results, having
already successfully installed 32 Galaxy control panels in the town, meeting the
diverse security needs of different types of building. ACV's responsiveness and
its ability to understand the exact needs of such a project were also key in its
selection. With over 10 years' experience in the field, ACV worked in close
collaboration with the Department Manager for Building Heritage and Fire
Safety/Intrusion in Plaisir, from the initial design of the project, including
submission of detailed plans, to completion of the installation while providing
customised technical support.
The Galaxy Dimension integrated intrusion and access control solution by
Honeywell as selected by the town council for several reasons. Firstly, it
addressed the key issue of managing building access of multiple users. Through
the use of badges, the system effectively manages building access for a large
number of users with various access profiles (e.g. dance school teachers,
performers, the caretaker, technical and administrative personnel, maintenance
services etc.) through programming authorised time schedules. Galaxy Dimension’s
automatic setting feature also helps reduce alarm monitoring costs as the alarm
receiving centre (ARC) no longer needs to intervene if people forget to activate
the system. The system also incorporates audio verification operations on a
group by group basis, offering up to 32 microphones; this is a useful new
function for ARCs. In addition, the security system is managed by a single
Galaxy Dimension control panel that can manage up to 32 groups. The control
panel can also be used to manage over 200 smoke sensors, thus meeting insurance
requirements for fire prevention.
The “Espace Coluche” theatre security system consists of one Galaxy Dimension
GD-520 control panel (capable of covering up to 520 zones), one Galaxy
TouchCenter touch-screen keypad, eight Max3 badge readers, ten Smart RIO EN and
twenty-eight I/O expander modules allowing the management of 315 zones, 72 doors
and 480 users for intrusion and fire detection as well as technical management.
The system is ideally suited for the “Espace Coluche” building as the venue has
several floors used for different purposes.
The benefits
- A solution adapted to the needs of local authorities
"What
particularly attracted us to the Galaxy system was the ability to upgrade and
expand the system, "explains Mr Lepineux, Deputy Mayor of Plaisir and
responsible for Works-Infrastructure and Prevention-Security. “This means
relatively low general and maintenance costs. Another benefit is the number of
user-specified badges that can be utilised with Honeywell products. This is
particularly suitable for local authorities whose premises and sites are used
by large numbers of people." In addition, the town council’s, technical
services department has the option of using software to remotely connect to
Galaxy security systems where it can receive key system information and
therefore remotely control the maintenance and management of all the city
council's buildings’ security.
- Remarkable adaptability
"The Galaxy Dimension system is
especially useful because it can be adapted to all types of installation,
primarily through its system architecture in terms of cabling and programming
but also through its capacity to manage a large number of connections -
approximately 300 points are wired in the Espace Coluche," explains Mr.
Gallois, Manager of ACV. "This means access and monitoring can be adapted to
the actual users. All technical data related to the building is collected by
the Galaxy control panel, classified by group and then sent to the alarm
receiving centre. In order to save time for personnel on duty, we also send
information via text message directly to their mobile phones – they are
quickly brought up to speed so that they can intervene immediately on site."
- A user-friendly system thanks to the touch-screen keypad
The
Galaxy TouchCenter touch-screen keypad allows direct access to information
such as the events log, and easy user management with a scroll list display
for easier comprehension and to help limit errors. "This is a highly dynamic
solution giving the user an interactive interface which has the advantage of
rapid data management," explains Mr. Gallois. "The keypad is fully
configurable and highly responsive. In addition, the system can also be
configured using the TouchCenter’s virtual MK7 Galaxy keypad."
- A reliable and certified system
The Galaxy Dimension system,
with dual NF&A2P type 3 (for intrusion detection and access control) and
EN50131 certifications, meets all the necessary quality standards expected by
insurance companies and end users. "The reliability of Galaxy products is
excellent," says Mr. Lepineux. "Some Galaxy control panels installed within
the town are around 10 years old, and despite being subject to intensive use,
the equipment remains reliable. Yes, we would certainly recommend Galaxy
systems to other council officials."
Some examples to illustrate the adaptability of Galaxy systems:
The town of Plaisir, satisfied with the reliability of Honeywell
systems, has chosen to protect an additional 50 buildings of various types
within the town using Galaxy control panels. ACV has adapted each installation
and has fitted systems into school complexes, the castle, the local police
station, municipal archives, gymnasiums and sports centres among others.
– The Castle: dating back to the 17th century is listed as
a historic monument. Its unique features are its ancient construction and its
layout over several buildings. Among other things, it houses a library, a music
school, and centres for cultural and leisure events with reception rooms. All
the buildings are protected using the Galaxy security system which also manages
fire detection. The considerable length of Galaxy data cabling for system
interconnections made it possible to overcome the problem of distance between
the different buildings which could not be connected via a radio system due to
the building’s historic construction. The use of time schedules has enabled
efficient management of building access for its different users.
– The Mozart School Complex: with a capacity of between 700
and 800 pupils has been divided into five different complexes (nursery school,
primary school, nursery and primary recreation centres, and a general canteen)
which are managed by a single Galaxy control panel combined with fire detection.
The major benefits of the Galaxy system are cost savings (particularly for
telephone transmissions) and time savings achieved through the group setting
function which allows the alarm to be set by group, using a single control
panel.
– Pierre de Coubertin Sports Centre: this multisport
facility with a surface area of 6140 square metres over two floors and seven
rooms in total (including a large gymnasium measuring 1510 square metres), is
also protected by the Galaxy system. The great advantage of the security system
is its capacity to manage intrusion, fire detection, the caretakers’ personal
alarm systems as well as all the technical data related to this type of building
(such as electrical or heating faults).
The results
Through the Galaxy Dimension integrated intrusion and
access control solution, Honeywell and ACV have been able to provide protection
for Plaisir’s buildings, by meeting its requirements, delivering systems on time
and adapting to specific building’s needs.
"The main risk for local authorities is vandalism to buildings," explains
Mr. Chanseaume, Department Manager of Building Heritage and Fire Safety/Intrusion
in Plaisir. "The Galaxy system's total security coverage and its reliability
allows early detection of intruders, helping us to limit damage to our
properties. It is important for the town that our investment in the Galaxy
systems delivers a rapid return on investment. Three buildings, where Galaxy
systems were recently installed, have already been saved through their
integrated intrusion and fire detection systems. The castle is one example of
the town's heritage that has been saved in this way."
ACV, our partner of choice
Alarme Chez Vous (ACV), managed by Mr.
Gallois, has been operating in the south west of France for the past ten years.
Working on projects up and down the country, the company is a busy partner in
the field of electronic security. The company has successfully adapted to the
demands of the market by incorporating design, engineering and integration
functions into its business to meet customers’ performance goals and
expectations. ACV’s services, combined with powerful systems such as Galaxy
Dimension, provide the end user with a system that is designed and customised to
their individual needs. Its areas of expertise include aspects of electronic
security for any organisation, ranging from public services and industrial
installations to commercial and military establishments.
With 20 years' experience using Galaxy control panels, ACV has naturally
become a partner of choice for Honeywell.
The products
- Control panel : Galaxy Dimension - access control and intrusion - GD-520
- Touch-screen keypad :Galaxy TouchCenter
- Display keypads : MK7 LCD
- Proximity readers : MAX3
- Power supplies : Galaxy Power RIO
- I/O expander modules : Galaxy RIO
 The town of
Plaisir entrusts its protection to the Galaxy Dimension security solution.
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