SECURITY
A safe and secure campus Balancing campus security with an open environment that fosters flow and movement presents a unique set of challenges that needn’t be complex says John Hardman, Product Marketing Manager- dormakaba
H
ere, John looks at solutions that can be implemented across campus sites and student residential facilities to provide ease of access, while maintaining appropriate levels of security. A university is a modern city in microcosm. It has residential areas; places of work; sports, entertainment, and leisure facilities; administrative offices; libraries and theatres; parks and public spaces; utilities; roads and pedestrian areas. Some individuals are residents 24/7,
22 | Spring 2022 | CAMPUS
others travel to and from the estate and some visit for events or to meet friends or colleagues. It’s hard to imagine a more complex challenge for those responsible for maintaining security while also enabling appropriate levels of access to the disparate groups of people present on campus. And this is further compounded by the significant differences that exist between a university environment and the world outside its confines. Firstly, a great deal of on-campus traffic takes place indoors as staff and students move between lectures
and tutorials. So large numbers of people need free access to and within multiple buildings, but usually only to specific areas or rooms within these buildings. For example, there will be commercially sensitive laboratory facilities within science blocks, or stores of hazardous materials used by engineering students, where access must be restricted to authorised personnel only. Even if risk levels are relatively low, a music department for instance, every step must be taken to minimise the possibility of opportunist theft of
