Telegraph Media Group (TMG)
Evolution Fire & Security puts security on the front page
Controlling the access of staff and visitors to a multi-tenanted building can be a challenge, especially when the principal occupant is a high-profile business such as the Telegraph Media Group (TMG).
Doing so in a way that provides a clear security ‘barrier’ while still maintaining a welcoming environment for employees and guests adds a further dimension. Include the need to design and install a new solution to replace an existing system that involves working with raised floors, suspended posts, and matching high-quality porcelain tiles and the full extent of the challenge can be understood, especially when the offices are manned for 20 out of every 24 hours during the week.
Evolution, the integrated security and fire solutions business, has worked with the Telegraph Media Group for almost 20 years. Despite this long-term relationship, any new projects for the Group are still put out to tender, and it is a testimony to the team that it continues to create the best solutions, and at the right price.
Major Refurbishment
The re-design of the TMG’s reception area was one of several changes undertaken as the result of a recent security review. The previous installation comprised turnstiles and glass screens that TMG’s Services Director, Lorrie Dannecker, says were no longer deemed fit for purpose: “We increased the height of the screens as a practical fix several years ago,” she explains, “but even then the turnstiles were so low that people could simply step over them.”
The solution proposed by Evolution included fitting new, IDL Fastlane turnstiles surrounded by 8ft Benbow glass screens that accommodate a disabled door access and new Safetell reception desk. On one side, new posts had to be suspended, to which the screens could be affixed.
"Working in the media there is always a great sense of urgency."
While the bald facts make the installation sound easy, Lorrie says that Evolution faced a great many challenges along the way: “The previous glass screens had been glued to the floor and had to be broken and dug out without damaging the tiles,” she explains. “They trialled a small area first to investigate what lay underneath, and then managed to successfully remove nearly all of the tiles or find a replacement that was a near perfect match. Apart from being slightly cleaner, they are virtually unnoticeable!”
The TMG has more than 1,000 employees, and the offices are open from 06:00 to 02:00 seven days a week. Most of the installation work was therefore carried out over the weekends when the offices are quieter: “We let our employees know what we were doing and put in additional security measures and staff during the transition period,” Lorrie adds.
Good forward-planning was key: “Working in the media there is always a great sense of urgency,” Lorrie continues. “But in the world of facilities management, you need to take more time to consider; 80% of success can be attributed to good planning, and this was no exception.”
The planning process allowed for a wider buy-in from stakeholders. A Contract Manager was also appointed, Hother Associates, to liaise directly with the Evolution team and ensure the project went smoothly.
Lorrie is impressed with the quality of the design and the effectiveness of the finished installation: “It is even better than I anticipated,” she says. “Our reception security is now less visible, but of a much higher order, and the turnstiles allow much faster access for authorised visitors. The fact that none of our employees have complained says it all.”
Evolution is now working with Lorrie and her team to upgrade the TMG’s CCTV to replace its ageing Intellex analogue technology with the latest VideoEdge solution that provides future connectivity with the Kantech access control software.