Great Northern Tower is a development in Manchester by George Wimpey City.
Designed to look like a shard of glass with metal and grey coloured decorative tiles, it features 257 apartments, with 24-hour manned concierge and secure underground parking.
Integral to the security of this landmark is a video door entry system, which uses two wires for all video, audio and data signals, for installation and cost efficiency. The System 300 video door entry product from BPT Entry Control Solutions has been used with BPT Lynea monitors in all 257 apartments. A single main digital vandal-resistant video entry panel is on the main entrance and an IPD-300 porter switchboard at the reception desk. The door entry system was installed by Tailored Fire & Security with an Impro16 proximity access control system, also from BPT. Impro16 supports up to 2,000 tags operating 16 doors and allows residents to come and go, while restricting access to all other visitors, who must then request access via the door entry. The system is controlled from a PC on reception and allows admin tasks to be carried out on site via a GUI, without the need for specialist programming. The reception has control over car parks and trade entrances. The installer linked the BPT switchboard to ten single button vandal resistant audio panels with integral Impro proximity access control readers on the car park and trade entrances. Tailored Fire & Security Project Manager Ian Gratix reports that the installation is one of the largest the company has done using BPT equipment: "We have used BPT before and found the equipment to be very flexible and our engineers are familiar with it. The price was right as well, plus the client’s preferred manufacturer was BPT."
