SECURITY CONTROL ROOM FURNITURE FOR ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW

In our Case Study Control Room Furniture for Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, the security control room at Kew Gardens required a complete refurbishment to update security equipment which had been in place since the early 1980’s. As part of the refurbishment project, 120 analogue CCTV cameras were replaced with Hikvision  IP cameras, and old CTR screens replaced with large flat screen monitors for live viewing. There has also been investment in a new site wide Honeywell access control system. The security control room was completely gutted before being refurbished and modernised, with a brand new security console and media wall provided by Thinking Space.

Kew Gardens is London’s largest UNESCO world heritage site, and home to the most diverse collection of living plants anywhere in the world. Over 1.6 million visitors of all ages and interests are drawn to the 330 acre gardens every year, which originally opened in 1749. Steeped in history, it holds over 30,000 different kinds of plants, protecting hundreds of rare and threatened plant species, and is famous for its’ Victorian glasshouses. It most recently celebrated the restoration of the world’s greatest glasshouse – the Temperate House. The five year, £41 million project which involved planning, paint stripping, masonry repairs and replacement of glass, not to mention moving all those plants, culminated in an official opening by the special guest of honour, Sir David Attenborough on May 3rd, 2018. Festivals, art exhibitions, concerts and learning experiences are all provided here in addition to the garden attractions, requiring round-the-clock, 24/7 coverage.

After meeting Thinking Space at the IFSEC International Exhibition in 2017, Security Manager John Deer was immediately impressed with what the company were offering.“The team of specialists, particularly their Commercial Director, Paul Roberts, were so easy to talk to, I immediately felt at ease. I quickly understood their furniture solutions and knew that I could entrust them to deliver a modern, efficient control room to the timescales agreed”.

Due to the control room needing to be in operation 24/7, close co-ordination between the principle contractor and Thinking Space was vital to ensure no loss of service whilst the control room was being refurbished. The old 1980’s control room with wooden furniture and enclosed screens were removed, and the room was completely gutted. A new suspended ceiling, electrical work, decoration and flooring were installed, whilst the room still remained in operation. A key design requirement of the refurbished room was to provide better use of space. The old consoles formed a ‘U’ shape around the perimeter of the room, with screens built into the desk, resulting in a narrow depth working space for operators. Thinking Space worked with the security staff to create a design proposal which offered more space, light and more efficient working areas by changing the orientation of the room. This led to the introduction of natural light with a window, which was previously obstructed. The new security desk accommodates two operators, with space for further operators if required. The console spans adjacent to the window and is positioned immediately in front of the large Hikvision display mounted on a Evolution media wall, creating the ideal CCTV monitoring. Solving storage problems, cupboard storage is provided below the media wall. With Novus monitor mounts, three flat screen monitors are mounted at each operators’ workspace, and the Novus LED Corona Task lamp is ideal for the night security team. The finishing touch to the room was the client’s logo added to the curved panel, which serves to greet all visitors when they enter the room. With night-time/out of hours working undertaken by Thinking Space and the principle contractor, the project was delivered to the agreed timescales, with no hiccups along the way.  It is now a room that everyone is proud of, particularly John. “It certainly has the wow factor now and I can’t thank all those involved enough for delivering the project so seamlessly by working as a team. I am so proud of this achievement, it is my legacy to Kew Gardens.” Operators commented “before the refurbishment, we were sat together closely, and with it being a dark room, it felt like there was no room to breathe! I even experienced headaches because of the environment. With the control room as it is now, it is so light and airy. Immediately I noticed that the colour’s chosen for the furniture bring a sense of calm to the room. No more headaches!”.