HIGH HOPES
Crime rates at high rise residential blocks have been found to be more than double those of three storey apartment blocks – 68 crimes per 1000 families compared with 30 per 1000, but good security in residential blocks needs to balance risk and personal freedoms reports Colin Edwards
Crime continues to rise since research 30 years ago pinpointed the risks of high-rise living, despite improvements in technology, building design, and security awareness, according to last year’s report on security in high-rise buildings – From the Ground Up – Security for Tall Buildings by Dennis Challinger.
Car thefts from basement parking in tower blocks were found to be 125 per 1000 compared with 77 per 1000 in other types of parking; assaults were 88 per 100 units at high rise and 77 per 100 units in row housing; and lock-pick crimes are higher in high rise buildings, according to numerous recent research.
It all leads Challinger to conclude: "It is a proven fact that more murders, burglaries, muggings, rapes, and other crimes are committed in such building than in smaller houses."
His conclusion includes data from low-cost public housing at highrise blocks with high crime rates, whereas in the Middle East, most high rise residences offer upmarket homes in iconic buildings such as the tallest building in the world – the Burj Khalifa.
But, if anything, security needs to be more sophisticated as residents are likely to have high value possessions within such apartments and the building itself could well be a target for crackpots and terrorists. Greg Sang, director, Projects Emaar Properties in his presentation on security at the Burj Khalifa, says the 828m high structure was to house more than 1000 hotel and private residences. The building size, number of occupants, its iconic status and the different cultural needs of its occupants were all special challenges as was its mixed use office, hotel, apartments and tourist visitors.
Access to the 3000 parking spaces in the underground garage, for instance, is only possible via special cards, as are the lifts from the garage. The cards will also only grant access to the floors the users are entitled to visit.
"Visitors using temporary access cards can be tracked throughout the tower and separate lobbies for the hotel, corporate suites, apartments and observation deck visitors – if you want to move between sections, then you´ll need security clearance," said Niek Bragt, managing director, Nedap, whose access solution is in use at the Burj Khalifa.
The highly secure project at the Burj uses Nedap Transit readers both for residents as well as for the office tenants and was done in cooperation with Nedap partner Johnson Controls, which was also retained for integrated building management and security at the Emaar Towers, office block and hotel – another Emaar iconic building. "Car parks are secured through the use of barriers or roadblocks, and in combination with RFID (remote) readers they provide a secure yet comfortable entry to the basements. Residents have dedicated RFID tags in their vehicles which once read and authorised remotely, enable access," he adds, saying it is something which adds to personal security and delivers a no fuss entry means.
The iconic ZigZag Towers on the Doha skyline
Bragt says Nedap long-range readers are very popular at residential towers in the Dubai Marina district, where residents experience fast, user-friendly high-level security.
"But a true 100% water tight solution can never be uaranteed. It is important, especially in residential buildings that a certain level of comfort stays. After all, we are securing people´s homes, and are not trying to turn them into prisons."
Access control is considered the first and sometime only residential security measure installed and developments in this field are moving apace with RFID tags beginning to be favoured over proximity cards and PIN numbers. But there are also smart cards, biometrics, electronic locks etc.
Kevin Hall, senior manager, at Transguard Facilities Management –
Security, which provides guards, risk assessment and security services
and operations and security equipment and systems, says advances in
technology in relation to access control, biometrics and x-ray search
equipment etc, continue to be offered to the market.
"On the whole residential buildings in the region are largely access controlled
only," says Kevin Hall senior manager at Transguard Facilities Management
"However, the security deployed in the region is often dictated by the client and within their specified budget. Therefore, on the whole, residential buildings in the region remain largely access controlled only."
He recommends tailoring security to individual buildings, stressing risk assessment beforehand. Such an assessment would identify all vulnerabilities and enable an action plan based on risk analysis and customer requirements. This would also dictate needs such as CCTV, intruder alarms, control rooms, pass systems, and help formulate sitespecific security procedures.
"Security considerations to be assessed will be any requirement for control of entry and supporting systems, CCTV and monitoring, the need for establishing a central control room where the coordination of the security force and the monitoring of the fire/system alarms and communications will be conducted, along with the implementation of emergency action plans and reporting procedures," says Hall.
Integrating all the different security systems in use with other computerised systems including fire and building management is also becoming important. Baraa Al Akkad, regional manager, Axis Communications ME says: "The convergence of security system towards IP allows for a platform that links previously disparate systems by enabling network video and access control systems to interoperate. In addition, we see intelligent video being developed to help reduce the time and effort to identify incidents."
Open standards help ensure easy integration, scalability and flexibility in choosing all components of the system as well as user friendly and easy to operate systems, he adds.
Weak points
But experts point out that the weak point in any residential security system is the residents who flout procedures, fail to be alert or even aware of security needs and are often insistent that security is an annoying intrusion into private life.
Building managements are urged to try to create a community feeling among residents and communicate the importance of security through regular notices, newsletters and resident meetings, but experts such as Challinger admit that such measures have limited success. In the Middle East the situation is aggravated by the transient nature of the residents and the size of the towers – in the Burj Khalifa expected occupancy is going to be up to 16000 residents, according to Sang.
Michael Flink, general manager, Honeywell Security Middle East, agrees that, through personal experience, apartments he has lived in in Dubai have lacked any community feeling. He cited his own block on the Palm where a third of the flats were owneroccupied, a third rented and a third vacant. In three years he has had no contact with his neighbour.
Honeywell systems and solutions are to be found in many of the towers on the Palm and Jumeirah Beach, using mainly CCTV but only at various entrances (garages, basements, front door roofs etc) and exits.
Very few cameras are deployed within building corridors or individual apartments, says Flink, because cost and effectiveness factors are often considered to outweigh the risk in terms of monitoring and installation costs.
Unlike hotels, where CCTV is used extensively, as witnessed by the recent Hammas murder in Dubai, there is no ministry requirement to deploy cameras in high-rise residential building.
Craig Menzies, security bid manager, at Tyco, part of the ADT Group, believes that many building managers see security as an unnecessary cost, but more are beginning to be aware of the need for it but, “it is very much a reactive market at the moment, but it is something we are trying to push for in competitive tenders.
"Security over and above the reception guard is not something that many people believe they need at the moment, but I´m convinced it is something they´ll become aware of. As more automated systems come into use, the guard will become more of a person who´ll be there welcoming residents to the building."
Security needs to be as unobtrusive as possible without becoming ineffective and many companies go to some lengths to realise this in designing solutions.
"Residents require fast and easy access to their homes at all times and don´t like to be obstructed by tight security measures. They prefer the occasional nod to the guard to open the barrier probably more than a strict under-vehicle scan and boot check. Finding the right mix between comfort and security hence is the primary challenge in these buildings," concludes Bragt.
Experts point out that the weak point
in any residential security system are residents who flout procedures
