EPM is a government-owned institution where thousands of people enter every day. The building maintains access protocols to ensure the safety of employees and contractors, as well as the company assets, thus allowing visitors to conduct business regarding utility services with increased peace of mind. The headquarters’ building is known as an “intelligent building” or edificio inteligente, because of the almost complete integration of access control processes. In 2012, a full-scale upgrade project was completed, which included elevators, lighting, HVAC, and access control systems.

For the upgrade project, the employee entrance doors located in the parking areas below the ground floor in the north and south wings needed to be replaced because they were obsolete and no longer met the security and energy efficiency regulations. So, a public bid was opened to modernise this part of the project. The integrator, Ivegas Ltd., won the project with the Tourlock 180+90 security revolving doors. The Ivegas installation was done in phases: during phase one, the power supply was matched to the doors in parallel with the installation of the new façade. Then came the door installation, along with the configuration and integration with the existing access control system that uses proximity cards. Finally, the testing and user training phases were completed.

The Tourlock security revolving doors incorporate touchscreens, allowing maintenance personnel to access self-diagnostic software and manage the doors’ operations. In addition, the doors comply with safety requirements, such as a panic button and automatic unlocking of the door wings in case of a fire alarm, allowing them to “bookfold” for easier exit. The door is also programmed to stop and release the wings if it detects a jam (like a briefcase that didn’t pass through) or if it hits an object.

As is normal with any major change, the employees at EPM had a few incidents while learning to use the new doors, getting it blocked on some occasions. The previous system worked by using a proximity card while stepping over a mat to operate the door. Now, the Tourlock turns automatically just by using the card.

“Boon Edam is a brand with which EPM is familiar,” explained Victor Atehortúa, Administration Services Professional at EPM, and the manager for security systems inside the building. “The turnstiles located upstairs at the main visitor entrances are also Boon Edam, and we recognise their excellent performance.”

Atehortúa added that EPM is very satisfied with the performance of the doors, because passing through it is “quite dynamic, people can go in one at a time as the door turns, preventing bottlenecks during rush hours.” Also, “people can pass in the opposite way at the same time, as long as they use their proximity card,” he concluded.