LifeWay Christian Resources Upgrades Access Control at Nashville HQ
LifeWay’s existing access control system was incorporated into Automatic Systems’ networkable security optical turnstiles.
As part of the designed solution, the access system needed to be integrated with the elevators using multiple readers and technologies to enable an elevator dispatch system directing users to their designated elevator and floor.
LifeWay Christian Resources, the publishing division of the Southern Baptist Convention and church business services provider, recently constructed a new building to house its headquarters in Nashville, Tenn. Among its objectives were to reduce square footage and operational costs while at the same time creating a more secure yet convenient and aesthetically pleasing access control system for its 1,100 employees and 15,000+ annual visitors.
Among other goals, explains Tom Lamb, LifeWay’s engineering and business support manager, were to make the lobby of the new headquarters more welcoming and open, but also more secure to control visitor traffic past security at the main entrance.
“We wanted to direct visitors to the conference area and needed the turnstiles, elevators and cameras to be integrated. We were seeking a complete package and a much more secure building,” Lamb says.
LifeWay, which also owns and operates more than 170 LifeWay Christian Stores across the United States, partnered with Nashville-based ACT Security to design and install the new access control solution.
ACT is a security and technology solutions integration company for commercial buildings and luxury homes throughout Nashville and Middle Tennessee. The integrator specified technology solutions manufactured by Automatic Systems to meet LifeWay’s objectives.
System Deployment
Designing a seamless pedestrian access solution for LifeWay employees was just one part of the project’s equation. ACT and Automatic Systems were also tasked with securing LifeWay’s vehicle parking garage facilities, along with managing the flow of visitor traffic to its conference center area, eliminating unauthorized visitors and tailgating at entry points.
As part of the designed solution, the access system needed to be integrated with the elevators using multiple readers and technologies to enable an elevator dispatch system directing users to their designated elevator and floor.
To secure employee and visitor access to its new headquarters, LifeWay chose Automatic Systems’ SlimLane EPR optical turnstiles for the lobby and its ParkPlus smart parking barrier gates for the parking garage.
LifeWay’s existing access control system was incorporated into the Automatic Systems’ networkable security optical turnstiles, allowing for a streamlined access control process. The SlimLanes are backed by a five-year warranty, rather than the two-year industry standard, and are UL2593 certified for electrical and mechanical safety.
SlimLane is rated to 10 million mean cycles between failure (MCBF), which gave LifeWay an added assurance that the security lanes will give them many years of reliable service.
With the integration of the SlimLane EPR optical turnstile security lanes and ParkPlus parking gates, LifeWay now has one unified access control system employed for both employees and visitors that is maximizing security and convenience while also delivering significant cost savings in its new, state-of-the-art headquarters.
With data collected from their access control, LifeWay was able to significantly reduce the footprint in square footage eliminating two of the floors needed to house its 1,500 employees. In addition, with the data the Automatic Systems turnstiles are providing, Lifeway continues to track how well they are utilizing their building.
Because of this data, Lifeway has plans to consolidate employees on fewer floors to lease space and offset facility costs. LifeWay was also able to eliminate 200 parking spots resulting in an upfront construction cost — and ongoing utilities cost reduction — in the millions of dollars.
End-User Satisfaction
LifeWay reports that the newly installed Automatic Systems turnstiles worked seamlessly from the onset since deployment.
“Automatic Systems wowed the client with their presentation of features/benefits and was there for us and LifeWay every step of the way,” says Randy Mann, president, CEO and partner of ACT Security notes. “When we started comparing the reliability of the systems proposed, we made the unanimous decision to go with Automatic Systems because they are a North American manufacturer who delivers unsurpassed reliability and support; the best warranty in the industry; and, the beautiful aesthetics needed for this project.”
Based on ACT’s previous experience with Automatic Systems, Mann says the integration firm was confident in the solution’s performance capability.
“The finished product is perfect for LifeWay’s needs — it’s the kind of building people enter and say ‘wow’ to — and the design of the SlimLane EPR optical turnstiles are beautiful,” he says.
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very nice info and system design. Thank you.