With construction activity across the GCC region expected to perform solidly in 2020 and beyond, planners, architects and real estate developers are increasingly focusing on mixed-used developments. And with that, the need for more streamlined and powerful integrated systems is becoming essential.

This is because, as the purpose of developments becomes more varied, so the systems that are needed to control them, to secure them and keep them running, becomes more complex.

Or at least they have the potential to become more complex, if not planned properly.

This is an exciting time for the built environment, as it is reshaped by changes in work and leisure lifestyles, and by the concerns and preferences of younger populations.

Increasingly we are seeing individual tower blocks, and developments comprising groups of buildings, combining office spaces, micro-business hubs, retail outlets, and leisure facilities, with residential and hotel accommodation alongside.

But the risk is that the complex mix of systems needed to run these locations will become too hard to manage and maintain, or too costly to implement.

The integration choice

These systems, of course, include essential tools for security, safety, visitor management, general building management systems (BMS) and other, more specific, core functions.

So developers and operators face the choice of opting for the traditional model with separate systems using siloed data – which are not only more expensive to implement, but can come with a high maintenance burden – or limiting their ambitions and not taking advantage of emerging, more responsive and function-rich networked tools.

Neither choice is a good one and Maxxess has been doing a lot of work with mixed-use developments to provide a more attractive alternative.

The company is offering the same model of off-the-shelf integrations – i.e. one that is capable but not complex – that it has already successfully applied in the hospitality and corporate sectors.

With hotels, for example, a number of major projects in Dubai have been reported using its eFusion solution, including most recently Blue Waters Island and the Vida Creek Harbour hotel which opened its doors in September, and the Taj Exotica Resort & Spa on Palm Jumeirah.

Big advantages

For these applications there are big advantages to be gained from combining back-of-house and front-of-house systems, which eFusion makes possible. So although these are not mixed-use developments per se, they face many of the same challenges: the need to secure busy premises with public access, to control access whilst offering an efficient welcome for guests, to ensure safety, to have the latest audit and investigation tools, and operate everything very easily from a single interface to manage leisure, retail, dining, accommodation and service operations.

Many of the same requirements exist for mixed-use developments which, like hotels, are under pressure to offer a high level of user experience whilst keeping costs down and ensuring value for money.

Lee Copland, managing director Maxxess EMEA, says the same approach can benefit the mixed-use sector, and will become increasingly important as developments compete to attract residents, business tenants and visitors.

“We’ve seen how customer satisfaction has become so important in hospitality, particularly in competitive destinations where the standards bar is set very high. Now, why shouldn’t it also matter in places of work, or more widely in commercial settings? I think that where hotels shown the way, now mixed-use buildings and complexes will follow.”

Customer satisfaction

As an example, he points to one of the latest hotel projects, where ASSA ABLOY’s Mobile Access solution is being used to improve customer satisfaction.

It’s a mobile phone based, keyless entry system created for hotels with their own app initiatives, as well as those without, and it offers guests an improved experience by letting them use their phones to reserve their rooms, check in and check out, and access facilities without queueing at the front desk.

This kind of seamless experience is designed to save guests time and stress, particularly after a long journey or at the point of departure.  With eFusion it was easy to integrate with all the hotel’s other systems.

As another example, ASSA ABLOY’s Traka technology is also now easy to integrate through eFusion. This makes it easy to control and track authorised access to a wide range of assets, from keys and premises to high value equipment, vehicles and machinery. It enables full traceability and audit reports that can include video and audio recordings as well as transactional data from systems such as access control, intruder and fire. With Traka solutions globally deployed in market sectors such as critical infrastructure, retail, logistics, hospitality and corporate environments – and increasingly integrated with access control systems – the integration with eFusion opens the way for more powerful and varied solutions to be developed. And for mixed-use locations it provides another option for making operations more secure but also more efficient.

Streamlining complex operations

Looking at other applications, as well as at the growing list of technologies that can be integrated using eFusion, it’s easy to see how operations can be quickly streamlined, no matter how complex they might seem to be.

This is good news for developers and operators of mixed-use sites as they no longer have to compromise on system capabilities, yet nor do they need to overspend on customised solutions.

Maxxess eFusion ensures ready compatibility with a wide choice of surveillance, intruder, access and fire detection systems. This provides a highly efficient integration path, wherever developers want to find the most efficient way to integrate all major security, safety and building management functions, and streamline even very large systems.

It gives them the ability to manage, organize, monitor and control devices from a single platform and, in higher security applications, to analyse the data provided in order to prevent crime, and quickly identify suspects, and help preserve security and public order. By acting as an umbrella management system, it improves efficiency of operations too. So, at mixed-use sites it removes the need for operators to continually switch between systems.

And during the implementation stage and fit-out, where costs need to be rigorously controlled, the fact that open technology is being used, and that it offers such a wide choice of off-the-shelf integrations, means there’s greater flexibility.

So, if the customer changes their mind, or it becomes apparent that a particular camera or device is needed that’s different to the model on the hard spec, it’s easy to change it up.