Case Study: 12 NEW FETTER LANE Iconic Building Chooses MOTOTRBO & Unigateway Control Software

Unigateway system

CBRE Site 12 New Fetter Lane MOTOTRBO & Unigateway X controlling onsite communications in this iconic building.

12 New Fetter Lane is a modern and innovative 15-storey office building, situated in the heart of London. This architectural gem was finished off in 2015, swiftly becoming home to numerous offices, as well as a buzzing business hotspot. It being such a grandiose building and having so many people work in the offices on a daily basis, strong communication became a top priority. Establishing strong and reliable systems was a step, which would help keep everyone safe and informed because, in a building of that size, many things can slip through unnoticed, especially if there are no radio systems used by the security teams and other personnel. To address this challenge, solutions like two-way radio systems were proposed to ensure every person on-site knows what is going on at any given time – a crucial and beneficial initiative for such an extensive establishment.

CHALLENGE

The leading commercial property and real estate services adviser CBRE turned to DCRS to assist with communications for their newly built structure, based in the western fringe of the City of London. It is set 59 meters above New Fetter Lane. This building has public access, therefore it was crucial to ensure the staff has a way to communicate instantly and clearly from anywhere within the premises.

Because of the building’s size, DCRS engineers had to ensure strong connectivity and ease of transmission throughout the whole place, with no poor signal pockets hindering communications between staff members. The building materials also had a part to play, as some of them created connection disruptions.

“When we initially surveyed the site it was essentially still in the build stage, they needed a safe, secure and reliable radio system that could penetrate through the materials used,” Daniel Scotney, Sales Manager DCRS commented. “We worked out the finer details as the project continued and the client’s requirements evolved as the building took shape.”

THE SOLUTION

Once the initial site testing was done and the briefs from other manufacturers overviewed, the CBRE team decided upon working with DCRS and choosing the MOTOTRBO™ digital two-way radio equipment.

During the testing phase, our radio engineers found that modern construction of the building and materials used in the construction process shielded radio waves. This finding made it clear that there was a need to provide the establishment with a split antenna system, to ensure the RF signals were distributed equally throughout the stories and even down into the basement area. The system’s, chosen by CBRE, hardware comprised of one MOTOTRBO SLR5500 repeater, which provides two channels, helping support the MOTOTRBO DP4800e hand portables, allowing everyone to talk in real-time, as well as giving access to additional features and delivering a feeling of safety for all users. The walkie-talkies were deployed to security, maintenance teams, and the resident legal firm Bird & Bird. As the majority of users are lone workers they opted for a series of ‘protection’ features:

Remote Monitor

• Emergency Orange Button

• Man Down

• Text Messaging

• Lone Worker

The MOTOTRBO™ hand portables provided crystal clear audio quality, as well as eliminating background noise, giving clear, crisp voice transmissions, and ensuring that each message is received and understood. All of those features were a must for maintenance users that visit secluded areas of the building, such as the basement and boiler room, where background noise can be a big issue. Besides the hardware equipment, the team decided to add the DCRS Unigateway, allowing them to connect to their Fire Alarm system, as part of their two-way radio software. This feature notifies all radio and mobile phone users about possible fires and informs them of what area the alarm has been activated in. This increases the speed of reaction to such incidents, as well as making possible evacuation processes smoother and safer.

Two-way radio systems for large office buildings

Communication systems are important to establish in large buildings, especially since they see thousands of people walking through the doors. It is crucial to ensure the safety of everyone on-site and have everyone know the latest updates or warnings on the premises.

Strong transmission and high-quality audio input and output are needed in radio solutions for such establishments. Therefore DCRS highly recommends the MOTOROLA R7 range radios, which offer previously mentioned qualities, as well as durability, longevity, and mobility. The walkie-talkies can boast such features as an emergency button, clearing other channels to prioritise the SOS message, as well as a battery life lasting up to 28 hours. Making sure the staff can connect with each other without any connection issues, whilst still being an easy-to-use solution.

To learn more about what DCRS recommends for your establishment, feel free to enquire or call 0800 043 2688 today. Our warm and professional team will make sure to provide the support you need.

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