South Gardens is part of widespread regeneration at Elephant and Castle in the south-east of the city. The project is following sustainable building practices to minimise its carbon footprint with water-saving technology and use of durable timber. Urmet is helping the development to meet the requirements of Secured by Design, the official UK police flagship initiative supporting the principles of ‘designing out crime’.

An initial phase of 360 homes, including a 16-storey brick tower block, will be using Urmet’s recently-launched Elekta Inox stainless steel door entry panels. Video from the external panels is transmitted using a wide-angle camera with a 120° lens and built-in motion detection. Visitors can communicate with residents using the panel’s 3.5-inch TFT display and back-lit LED keypad, which both comply with the Equality Act.

As an illustration of Urmet’s capability and broad product offering, Lendlease opted to integrate Ipervoice access control readers into the panels to give residents a secure hassle-free mode of entry. Residents simply present a 13.56Mhz Mifare proximity fob to the panel to gain entry. There are 200 additional readers around the site giving access to stairwells, basement car parks, charging points for electric cars, bike storage and rooftop communal facilities. The Elekta Inox has been flush-mounted to the fascia of entrances, offering increased protection against vandalism.

To maximise convenience and safety for residents, Lendlease are employing concierge staff at the South Gardens apartment block. They will use Urmet’s PC-based concierge switchboard software, another component from its unified Ipervoice suite of products. South Gardens residents will be using Urmet’s Max IP video entry phone to speak with visitors at the external panels. The Max IP features a seven-inch touchscreen that is Android-powered. The unit has a 2-megapixel camera and a 1024x600 pixel screen. An important feature of the monitor is a lift icon that can call the lift to a resident’s floor or send it to ground level to receive a guest or delivery person – all without the resident leaving their apartment. This function is a core requirement of Secured by Design.

Mark Hagger, Urmet’s Sales and Marketing Director, said: “The South Gardens project shows that IPervoice is a collaborative environment. From the earliest development stage, Lendlease was able to move forward both with our products and those of third parties in their aim to create a set of truly intelligent buildings.”

Hagger added: “Urmet now works with other manufacturers on an app-based level. This means that problems with drivers and interfaces are a thing of the past. Our primary focus is video entry, but from day one we install a single device with touchscreen control from a communal LAN that also provides access control, resident communication and seamless integration with home automation.”