27 Oct 2011
ASSA ABLOY supplies security technology for new central library in Stuttgart
The new 20,000-square-metre city library in Stuttgart has been equipped with locking and access control systems by ASSA ABLOY Sicherheitstechnik GmbH. This cube-shaped building is thus state-of-the-art in terms of both architecture and security technology.
The central library is the first public building to be completed in the new Europaviertel (Europe Quarter) currently under development in Stuttgart. The Korean architect Eun Young Yi designed the building envelope to feature a double façade with glass bricks und entrances on all four sides, creating the new central library as an inspirational centre of knowledge and culture. ASSA ABLOY Sicherheitstechnik GmbH was awarded the contract for fitting the library with a security system. Specifications stated that the building entrances were to be equipped with electronic components that could be centrally managed and could integrate interior doors using mechatronic systems where required.
Measuring 44 by 44 metres, the outer façade of this building is controlled by the effeff access control system OPENDO neo LAN, an online-controlled system in which access authorisations are managed centrally in real time. “The city library's security officers can issue, modify or disable locking authorisations over the network at any time, leaving no security vulnerabilities,” explains Andreas Wagener, General Manager Sales&Marketing at ASSA ABLOY Sicherheitstechnik GmbH. The software manages and logs all the events which occur during day-to-day operations. To configure and administer the system, the building's security officers have at their disposal a user-friendly client software application featuring a user interface which can be adapted to run on several operating systems. The client software can be installed on any number of PCs in the network, thus enabling the access control system to be administered from more than one workstation.
Fitted with effeff Escape Door Terminal 1380 from ASSA ABLOY Sicherheitstechnik GmbH, Stuttgart City Library guarantees secure operation of escape route doors irrespective of whether the doors are to be securely locked or opened using access authorization. This terminal ensures safe, reliable use of escape routes at all times in emergency situations. Escape doors are locked with Escape Door Electric Strike 331, which is integrated into the door design thanks to its concealed installation.
The new central library in Stuttgart is housed over a total of eleven floors. On the inside, architect Young Yi has created bright, wide spaces linked by numerous walkways. The centre of the building features a brightly lit atrium four storeys high with a skylight made of glass bricks, above which there is a funnel-shaped gallery space. The highest security level in the interior has been provided for the management, administration and data processing departments, for which the IKON brand locking system +CLIQ has been used. Each +CLIQ key features an integrated chip for the key and locking cylinder, thus making them unique. Keys can be programmed individually for each user. “System operators thus have control over their keys. +CLIQ excels thanks to its high flexibility when a key is lost or users require changes. Key access authorisations can be removed individually by reprogramming locking cylinders,” explains Andreas Wagener. Access authorisations can also be enabled on a time-limited basis for external service providers such as tradesmen and cleaners.
Since October 24, 500,000 books, films, sound storage media, newspapers, magazines, sheets of music, graphics and software packages are available to library visitors. The opening week saw performances and readings from the likes of philosopher Wilhelm Schmid and writer Hatice Akyün. There are also two regular guided tours – one based on the architecture and the other on the library itself. Security is hardly noticeable for visitors during tours, but is highly important for those who run the library.