In the booming workspace market, a professional welcome is crucial to success. At Barcelona’s Gran Vía Business Centre, 2,500m2 of offices and shared collaborative workspaces in the heart of the city, managers chose the Smartair wireless access control system — because it protects and manages their premises, and also projects the right image for a contemporary co-working environment.
Gran Vía is a flexible and well-equipped home for companies from international corporates to local start-ups. Fibre optic broadband, LED lighting, an on-site restaurant and adjacent rental apartments are also part of Gran Vía’s high-end service. This is why they sought an upgrade and replacement for an existing, out-of-date access control system.
Gran Vía needed more flexibility and control over access to their premises; a system to seamlessly manage diverse access needs of permanent versus temporary users, and that would cope with rapid personnel turnover. Locking devices must complement the professional, modern image of the workspace, which attracts high-profile, design-savvy business clients. On top of these demands, any new system would have to be fitted without disrupting day-to-day business.
Smartair access control locks now control access to Gran Vía’s six floors of offices, meeting spaces and communal areas. Access requirements change all the time at the business centre, and security managers now have a system where programming and reprogramming access rights is fast and easy. Thanks to the slick, flexible management software behind Smartair, everything works in the background — keeping site users safe almost without anyone noticing.
“Smartair is an effective solution that is easy to use,” says Esther Portillo, Marketing Director at Gran Vía Business Centre. Over 50 new Smartair wireless escutcheons are operated with RFID smart-cards, so security is not compromised if an office user loses their credential. Security administrators simply cancel the lost credential’s access rights — much quicker, cheaper and more professional than replacing a traditional mechanical lock. The user gets their new smart-card validated at one of five Smartair wall updaters: it is an effective combination of contemporary image and efficient user experience for Gran Vía’s clients.
Importantly, Smartair wireless door and wall devices complement Gran Vía’s contemporary aesthetic. “Smartair has a modern design and suits our installations perfectly,” confirms Esther Portillo. Bringing more doors into any installed Smartair system is straightforward, because Smartair escutcheons fit wood, glass, emergency exit and fire-resistant doors.
Gran Vía now has an access control system they can reconfigure and expand to suit both their needs and those of their clients.
