Of late, Livingston in West Lothian has been at the centre of a massive regeneration programme with substantial investment from Land Securities, one of the UK’s leading real estate investments trusts.
With a local shopping population that has grown by 70% since 1998, the former Almondvale Shopping Centre and the new Elements Square extension have now been rebranded as The Centre. This is now one of the biggest shopping centres in Scotland.
Land Securities selected Siemens Building Technologies Security Solutions as its technology partner, tasking the company to enhance the customer experience and future proof those security systems required to meet the demands of a contemporary retail and leisure development.
Redevelopment from 2006 onwards
The original Almondvale Shopping Centre security system was installed over 15 years ago, prior to the redevelopment and extension of The Centre which began in 2006 and was completed in October last year.
In late 2005, Siemens entered into discussions with Land Securities to design and implement a phased three-year upgrade, valued at over one million pounds, that would allow the security systems to be extended into two new car parks and Elements Square (the 375,000 sq ft extension).
Land Securities’ technical services manager John McLean explained: “It was a challenging development project that involved ensuring the continuity of existing systems during the works. Siemens adopted a multi-disciplined approach, working closely with the building services team, architects and contractors to ensure that our security systems were never compromised.”
Siemens provided Land Securities with a managed service package which made the necessary allowances for key phases in the retail development scheduled to take place in 2007 and 2008.
Record of multi-site security projects
Blane McConnell – business development manager for Siemens Building Technologies Security Solutions – told SMT Online: “Our track record in working on complex multi-site developments, together with our innovative financing model meant that we were ideally placed to provide seamless support throughout the project.”
Phase One involved the installation of PTZ colour/monochrome dome cameras and fixed cameras to provide coverage of the new two-storey ‘Centre Car Park 2’. Siemens created and installed a fibre communications network which has the ability to transmit high definition images from multiple camera sites. This realises a cost-effective and secure solution for the client.
Siemens was instrumental in the rebuilding of the new Communications Room and the Central Management Suite. Here, the number of cameras that may be monitored has increased four-fold with capacity for further expansion when required.
The Central Management Suite features a new monitor wall with sixteen, 19″ split screen TFT monitors and a central 40″ ‘Event’ TFT monitor. A separate console sits in front of the monitor wall and features two operator positions, each with a matrix control keyboard and two 15″ TFT spot monitors.
Security personnel always on site
The Central Management Suite is staffed 24 hours per day by a team of well-trained security personnel. Members of the team monitor and control cameras not only throughout the shopping centre but also from an additional remote site at Dundee.
The existing 15-year-old camera matrix, with a finite capacity, was slow and cumbersome to use. It has been replaced with a new matrix and a new modular digital recording system.
McLean continued: “Compared to the original 15-year-old recording system, the new system is unbelievably fast. There are three main reasons why it’s proving invaluable. The clarity of the high definition images, speed of the retrieval of information and the fact that we have done away with paper handling as the data can be loaded straight onto disk.”
Phase Two involved the installation of new PTZ colour/monochrome dome cameras and fixed cameras in the new four-storey, state-of-the-art The Centre Car Park 1. Additional cameras were installed in a link corridor to The Centre Car Park 2 from the additional shopping centre.
Special fibre communications network
Siemens installed another fibre communications network to support the required video and data transmission requirements. The DVR capacity was also increased to accommodate the new cameras.
McLean explained: “We have almost one million square feet to protect including wide pedestrian walkways, stairwells and parking areas. Our philosophy is to provide a security prevention service ensuring that all our customers feel safe and can shop with confidence. We have excellent safety standards with well-lit access areas. Our car parks are brightly lit, with music playing to add to the feeling of safety and protection.”
The final (and major) phase of the development was designed in association with BDP Architects, Wallace Whittle and consultant the Blackwood Partnership.
Elements Square was built with the modern day shopper in mind, featuring double-height glass shop fronts, terracotta and zinc walls and granite flooring to help give the feeling of shopping on the High Street indoors. This enables customers to meet, relax and eat whatever the weather.
Meeting the architects’ requirements
Siemens had to ensure that the Front of House cameras all met with the architects’ aesthetic requirements, and included stainless steel finish PTZ dome cameras and unobtrusive bespoke grey painted fixed dome cameras. The finishes were required to fit the contemporary styling and blend with materials including zinc cladding and stainless steel.
The DVR capacity was increased to accommodate the additional cameras, and now features 15 x 16-channel recording servers archived thanks to 77 Terabytes of RAID5 storage. Critical service spares including cameras, fibre transmission cards, monitors and DVR system components are held on site to ensure that system downtime is kept to a minimum.
In October 2008, The Centre celebrated the opening of the latest major development, Elements Square, and the rebranding of Almondvale Shopping Centre to The Centre. PTZ domes and fixed cameras were installed to cover all Front of House and Back of House areas, and a fibre network enabled to link the signals from all the cameras back to the control and monitoring locations in The Centre Management Suite.
Withint easy reach for shoppers
Today, the Centre accommodates over 155 units featuring many High Street names including Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, River Island and Warehouse. Restaurants include Wagamama, Ask and Nando’s.
80% of Scotland’s population are within an hour’s drive time.
