Berlin Television Tower relies on the security and flexibility of VERSO CLIQ

Berlin - As one of Berlin’s most famous landmarks and a popular tourist attraction with almost 1.2 million visitors every year, the Berlin Television Tower features a secure and flexible locking system as a key element in its building security. With the IKON VERSO CLIQ locking system from ASSA ABLOY Sicherheitstechnik GmbH, the operator, TV Turm Alexanderplatz Gastronomiegesellschaft mbH, is relying on a mechatronic locking system which combines highly developed microelectronics with intelligent data encryption. This not only provides effective security but also ensures flexibility and cost-effectiveness. The locking cylinders can be quickly and easily reprogrammed to include access authorisation modifications or changes due to key loss in.

Opened on October 3, 1969, the Berlin Television Tower on Alexanderplatz is part of Germany’s history. The East German leadership had the television tower built back in the mid-sixties, not least to demonstrate the strength and capability of the socialist system. Today, the 368-metre tower dominates the skyline of the German capital city as no other building does and is a symbol of a reunited Germany, like the Brandenburg Gate. Roughly 1.2 million people visit the tower every year and are shuttled to the 203 metre-high viewing platform and the 207 metre-high restaurant in two high-speed lifts. These lifts reach speeds of around 6m/s as they move up and down the tower. Anyone who enters the tower or views it from a distance will quickly be reminded of the 1960s. You can sense the fascination for technology and space travel in the architecture; viewed in profile, the tower resembles a space rocket.

Although the origins of the tower’s design are unclear, one thing is certain: the Berlin tower impresses due to its elegance and its structure is an exceptional engineering feat. It’s no wonder then that this emblematic building on Berlin’s Alexanderplatz is one of the most appealing tourist attractions in the city.

Imposing challenge for security

The tower’s operating company, TV Turm Alexanderplatz Gastronomiegesellschaft mbH, is faced with high security requirements as a result of the tower's status. ‘The high number of people entering the building on a daily basis, not only due to our visitors, but also our large workforce of 100 employees, and the demarcation lines between the tower’s leased areas and those used by the owner require a reliable, standardised security concept,’ explains Christina Aue, CEO at TV Turm Alexanderplatz Gastronomiegesellschaft mbH. ‘The areas managed by us as the operator, that is to say, all public areas, operation of the two high-speed lifts, the restaurant, storerooms and the administrative offices in the building around the base, are sensitive areas and call for a hierarchical access structure,’ affirms Aue. The use of seasonal staff, temporary workers in varying sections of the tower, changes in staff levels due to fluctuations in requirements, restructuring or outsourcing to external companies also mean access authorisations need to be adapted quickly and flexibly. ‘The IKON VERSO CLIQ mechatronic locking system gives us exactly the flexibility we require.’

Important: best possible documentation

Another aspect in VERSO CLIQ’s favour was the availability of reliable, comprehensive documentation. ‘It is important for us to be able to trace who entered a particular room at a particular time. Besides having clear access rules, we can now also check who last unlocked a particular door, locker or office cupboard when required by consulting the VERSO CLIQ events log memory.’ Equally as important for work processes in the Berlin Television Tower is the option to enter time-restricted and limited-area access authorisations for short-term employees or external service providers, such as tradesmen and cleaning staff. “Due to the pre-defined access authorisations programmed into keys, such groups only have access to specific areas at specific times,” explains the CEO.

When a key is lost, access authorisations can be quickly eliminated by simply deprogramming locking authorisations from locking cylinders. ‘We also know that VERSO CLIQ keys are optimally protected against misuse and cannot be copied,’ affirms Aue, ‘The Berlin State Office of Criminal Investigation has also rated the system as good, yet another argument in its favour for us.’

Easy to use

Easy system handling and programming also play an important role for Christina Aue: ‘VERSO CLIQ reduces our workload enormously. The system and its components can be quickly and securely operated by just pressing a button,’ says Aue. 'It also automatically pinpoints any errors, so that sources of errors can be eliminated.’ Considerable advantages are also offered by the way that power is supplied to the locking cylinder: the cylinder is powered by the key, meaning there is no need to make structural alterations to doors or carry out costly, complicated cabling work. The system operator or employees can replace the standard, commercial batteries in keys themselves.

Security a top priority today

‘We are more than satisfied with VERSO CLIQ,’ declares Aue. 'The locking system fulfils our requirements 100 percent. A comprehensive security concept for public buildings is a top priority in the world we live in today. I personally regard the acquisition of our locking system not as an investment which will pay for itself over time but as an investment in security for our company.’

Optimum co-operation

The IKON locking system was installed by Berlin security specialists Kiowski Sicherheitstechnik. ‘Liaison with the installation company as well as the customer care provided by ASSA ABLOY Sicherheitstechnik here in Berlin were both exceptional,” sums up Aue. ‘ASSA ABLOY not only supplied individual, tailor-made solutions for our requirements, some of which were very complex, but they also offer us long-term, future-proof investment and guaranteed subsequent supply.’