MEDICA Centre is a purpose-built healthcare facility at Hurstville in Sydney, combining surgical, cancer diagnosis and treatment, pathology, diagnostic imaging and full supporting facilities. What’s more, the Medica Centre is the first fully digital hospital in Australia, with patients processed by computer from admission to billing.

It’s an impressive facility – above ground there are 9 floors in total with 6 floors of specialist consulting rooms, a chemotherapy centre, 7 high-tech operating theatres, wards containing 35 beds, and another 2 floors for radiology and nuclear medicine, radiation oncology, pathology and pharmacy services. Underground are another 9 floors including 260 public parking spaces.

The distinctive Nordon Jago-designed building is divided by a light well with the 2 parts connected by a glazed walkway. There are balconies on each level with landscaped planter beams, while louvered facades interact with cladding, and glazed corners to unify the building and create evolving shade patterns.

Not surprisingly, a comprehensive security and safety system has been installed that’s designed to protect staff and patients. Given the number of medical suites, the access control solution is modular and incorporates alarm inputs. Video surveillance coverage is also significant with recording and monitoring in separate locations facilitated by leveraging Medica’s data network.

Importantly from an operations perspective, there are 2 facilities managers and a 24-hour security presence on site and this has a direct impact on the layout of the system as well as the operation of the security solution. Both access control and video surveillance management are duplicated in the security control room and at reception.

According to Nicholas Churchill, project manager at Kings Security Systems, the Medica project commenced in March 2009 and was completed in November 2010, running for 18-months.

“This was a wet cement project – a hole in the ground – and it’s a large build with 9 car park levels below ground as well as 9 stories above so there was a lot going on during the installation,” Churchill says.

According to Churchill, the builder was Hansen Yuncken, the electrical contractor was the Heyday Group’s Electrics Division, and Kings Security was contracted by Heyday to handle the electronic security and related subsystems side of the installation.

“The consultant driving the build was Donnelly Simpson Cleary and we worked closely with DSC to resolve end-of-project issues and get the best result for the client,” he explains.

“This building is highly secure – the amount of access control and CCTV for a commercial building of this size is significant. It’s a step up from typical commercial sites. There’s access control on all suites throughout the 9 floors and the surgery areas are obviously very tightly secured as well.”

The specification demanded that the security and safety system incorporate CCTV giving security officers a clear view of what is happening in the common areas. These common areas included the carpark and the CCTV system had to offer a view of every Help Point.

“And when it came to access control, this is a medical facility so the access control demands were also stringent,” Churchill explains. “The security levels on each floor on fire doors and fire stairs are very high as well.

“Along with CCTV and secure entry, comms and distribution boards are all monitored and that was a requirement under the specification – so across the board there’s a much higher level of security than you’d see in a normal building of this size.”

After considering the requirements of the Medica Centre, Kings Security recommended a solution that incorporated a number of different components but was primarily built around Honeywell solutions. The core systems used include Fusion DVRs and Fusion video management software, and selected products from Honeywell’s Pro-Watch access control solutions.

“Working from the generalised tender schematics, the system was almost entirely designed in-house by Kings Security,” explains Churchill.

“Effectively we engineered the system inhouse and then implemented it on site.

“We specified a Honeywell solution for the building – the ProWatch for access control, the Fusion DVRs for video surveillance – we felt these were the most robust and strong products. Given what the client wanted we felt the Honeywell solution was the best option.”

And it’s not a simple solution by any means. With 18 levels, there are 130 access control doors, 100 alarm sensors, 142 Honeywell analogue cameras – including fixed and PTZ domes. That’s a lot of security hardware but it was not just security hardware the Kings team had to worry about.

“A key element of this solution is a Jacques VoIP Help Point system – there are 19 of the orange help points located throughout the carpark,” Churchill says.

“There’s also a standard Aiphone AX intercom system, as well a public address system linking suites to entry points and we have also installed LG iris scanners located at the entries to the drug and pharmacy stores.”

Churchill says all those systems are integrated together either with high or low level interfaces. Given the nature of the specification the integration does not see all functionality combined on a single workstation but there’s integration a multiple levels and the system is designed to be controlled from a central control room.

Given the complex nature of the system it’s easiest to break each component down for separate consideration – starting with CCTV and then moving on to access control, Help Points and the rest before taking a look at network structure and installation challenges.

The basic specification for the video surveillance system was that it provide the Medica Security team control room and reception desk access to all cameras throughout the building on a workstation supporting both access control and CCTV management. Also vital was the ability of recorded video footage to be retrieved from storage by operators and viewed on the workstation.

In terms of layout, all cameras are connected to the DVR units located in a communications room rack. There are 5 Honeywell Fusion III DVRs in the racks and these powerful DVRs are 32-channel and include 8-Terabyte of storage. Fusion DVRs are tough monkeys that hustle plenty of functionality including Smart Motion search technology and Microsoft Active Directory integration as well as providing support for 16 IP cameras.

Key features of Fusion III include global recording rates from 100 to 400 at CIF resolution (PAL), Recording resolutions up to 720 x 480 (4CIF), real time live video viewing on the local display, 16 sensor inputs and 16 control outputs, 16 channels of audio standard on select models, 10/100 network standard with 1 Gbps option, Keyboard control (HJZTPX) of camera selection and PTZ control and an embedded Windows operating system included with each DVR.

“The Fusion DVR software that handles viewing of the DVRs is a peer-to-peer workstation license that comes with each DVR,” Churchill says. “If you want to bring together a number of Honeywell Fusion DVRs, then HFRVS Remote Management Software is perfect for that and this is the solution we’ve used.”

From the point of view of operators driving the system using Fusion III HFRVS Remote Management Software there’s Smart Motion, preview and index searches, integrated camera discovery protocol and access Control integration to Honeywell’s Pro-Watch access control solution. The management software gives easy search through advanced index searching capabilities and motion-based object search functionalities, as well as Preview Search and Smart Search.

Operators also get features like remote notification of alarm events

and health check, searching capabilities and they can control PTZ cameras, remotely monitor video, live audio and alarms with full screen pop-up on alarm or picture included with e-mail alert.

Operators can also access and export recorded video, connect to multiple Fusion DVRs simultaneously and use the Maps feature to import in .dxf, .jpg, .wmf and other formats. Meanwhile, administrators can create multiple customised user accounts and custom live camera views.

All in all, Fusion III and Fusion Version 3.6 software give Medica a very complete video management solution.

At the sharp end of the CCTV system, Kings has deployed Honeywell vandal domes with 6 Honeywell external PTZ cameras that are controlled by operators in the control room. The vandal dome is Honeywell’s HD4DX 1/3-inch Hi-res vandal day/night 540 TVL with a 3.3/12mm lens. It’s a high quality analogue vandal dome and Churchill says the camera works well at Medica and is a very robust unit.

In terms of CCTV system structure, the 140 cameras are installed in a star configuration with all the cable runs coming down the risers to the CCTV rack in a comms rooms. Cable runs approach the 100 metre mark but Churchill says there was no need for amplification at Medica. Interestingly, the cabling is a Cat-5 with baluns.

“To conform with the original specification the building was going to be installed with a coaxial CCTV solution with a local DVR on each floor but we changed that and brought the surveillance to Cat 5 with one node in a secure comms room,” Churchill says. “This allowed us to centralise all the storage and media for our various systems.”

Using baluns means the specified analogue cameras are supported but in the future the baluns can be removed and cameras replaced with IP cameras, should this be required. In terms of comms room geography, a balun hub is installed in the racks with the DVRs. Meanwhile at the camera end it’s a coax tail to a passive EQL balun.

“You have your analogue 32-input DVR and behind that you have 2 rows of balun keystone hubs,” explains Churchill. “Cat-5 gets punched straight into there with RJ-45 then you have a fly lead to the DVRs – it’s a very neat solution.”

Given the nature of Medica Centre, the access control solution is layered, with overall building security managed and monitored by Medica security staff. Access control includes main entries, car park entries, lifts and layers of security inside areas of the building with a particular focus around the surgeries and pharmacy.

Importantly, from the point of view of the Medica Centre business model, there are multiple specialist suites on every level which are in the process of being individually tenanted. Each suite will have its own access control and represents a separate area within the overall access control system with its own alarm sensors, access readers, cards and rules – including 2-badge arm and 1-badge disarm.

The access control solution Kings Security chose for the Medica Centre is Honeywell’s robust and thoroughly proven ProWatch access control and alarm solution which controls and manages user access into and around the building as well providing alarm management for intruder detection with PIRs, reed switches and electric locks.

The control cards in each access control enclosure consist of dual reader, input, output and communications and these are installed in a communications riser on each level. This equipment is connected via a communications bus to the Honeywell ProWatch Server located in the security room.

At the heart of the access control system is a network of Honeywell PW-6000 Intelligent Controllers which are located inside each riser-mounted enclosure and can operate standalone or be connected to a host computer for system configuration, alarm monitoring, and direct control using direct serial communication, dial-up modem, or TCP/IP network connection.

The PW-6000 controller has a Freescale ColdFire 5282 processor, 32MB RAM and 16 MB flash with integrated Ethernet for faster downloads and less configuration time. It also has an embedded Web server for configuring key hardware attributes previously selected by other methods, which allows for faster integration, startup, and troubleshooting.

Meanwhile access modules working in conjunction with the controller are designed to allow for a modular customizable solution. The PW6K1R2 selected to handle door control supports two card access readers and in the event that communication to the intelligent control module is lost, the readers can be individually configured to allow entrance based on security needs. This customization allows for a door to be configured as locked or unlocked, or accessed only via valid facility code.

The PW6K1R2 also has an RS485 serial port to facilitate communications to third party reader and field device controllers. The PW6K1R2 has 8 supervised, general purpose alarm inputs with programmable circuit, 2 dedicated alarm inputs for tamper detection and power loss, 2 general purpose output relay, form-C, 5 A 28 VDC and 4 general purpose output relays.

Handling management and control is Pro-Watch Security Management Software Suite, which offers management of access control, alarm monitoring, video badging, and CCTV system interface. The Pro-Watch management software is located on workstations in the security room and in reception and offers multiple database partitioning, a global “Find” utility that allows information to be easily accessed, savable search templates, real point status monitor and macros that combine operations into a keystroke or mouse click.

“The access control system is the Honeywell ProWatch and it works side by side with the Fusion DVRs but there’s no actual integration between these 2 – there’s no overarching umbrella – it was not a requirement at the time but it may be in the future,” explains Churchill.

“Handling door access are Honeywell MiFare readers while locks are FSH, the majority being standard FSH FEM 20 monitored strikes and a number of FEM3500M magnetic locks for swing doors.

“The way the access control solution is designed, each level has a dedicated Honeywell enclosure and in that enclosure we have the 2-door controller cards, the input cards, the output cards and the Ethernet controller, which might handle a number of floors.”

Doors are connected to the 2-door modules in the riser enclosure, while low level integration and alarm sensors also go to I/O cards – these include PIRs and reed switches. The Honeywell enclosures are securely located in the comms riser on each level.

Biometric readers are incorporated into the system by carrying signals direct to the relevant enclosure. In the pharmacy, high security iris scanners connect to an LG door controller which sends a Wiegand signal to the Honeywell door controllers in the nearest riser. It’s simple and effective.

“The way the access control system was designed was to have serviceability and not to have all the access control running back to a single location but to spread it out across all the levels to make it consistent throughout the build,” Churchill says.

The Medica Centre is not just about CCTV and access control. There are also comprehensive intercom services, an IP-based Help Point system that’s integrated with video surveillance and a public address system that includes a Background Music System (BGM) that is incorporated into the Help Point solution.

It’s in these subsystems that Kings Security was required to do the bulk of the integration needed for the Medica Solution. In terms of the specification the Jacques Help Point system comprises of wall mounted help points distributed throughout level B1-B9 car park as well as the lower level ground lift lobby.

These help points are connected to the security room rack and are managed by a VoIP server with a VoIP Microphone and speaker interface located on the security desk. The way the system works is that when a call is made from a Help Point, the relevant camera for that area will be displayed on the security monitor. An interface from the PABX system has also been implemented connecting the Help Point System to the phone system.

“There is integration between the CCTV and the Jacques Help Point solution,” says Churchill. “This integration allows cameras to display help points in the event of help point activation. Cameras are fired up onto a screen and this brings the event to the attention of security staff.”

Meanwhile, the Background Music System (BGM) also forms part of the Help Point system. There are PA speakers are distributed throughout the building from Level B2 – 7, connected to PA amplifiers in the B1 rack and can have input from a tuner or CD player. This equipment is driven by a PA console in reception and in the security room.

The Medica Centre also incorporates an intercom system with video and audio intercom units at entrances and key locations connected to a number of master stations located on Level B1, Ground and Level 1. Aiphone product has been implemented to manage these calls with the central exchange unit is located in the B1 Security room rack.

From the Master Station units the staff member can converse with the public/retail tenant when requested and provide access to that area via the access system graphical system interface. There’s also integration with the standard Aiphone AX intercom system with the carpark entry and exit and there’s also some integration with both the CCTV and the access control.

“The intercom system is used for general entry and exit of the building as well as the carpark, the lobby desk – it’s a Cat-5 config with proprietary comms for audio and video,” Churchill says. “There are 23 vandal stations throughout the lower levels of the build and there are 8 master stations throughout level 1, ground and B1 for audio and video.

“We also have a PA system which is zoned differently throughout the building – lobby, foyers, ground level, suites. This system is controlled through the Jacques system which is a full IP solution. The system is controlled locally from the B1 security room and there’s integration with the EWIS system – switching on and off in emergency situations.

“This does have some control through touch screens as well which provides ease of use and efficiency for operators in emergencies. There’s a GUI that can be called up on the touch screen that allows more effective use of the Help Point system – that’s all tied in.”

Churchill says the surgery area on the level one was an area where Kings Security undertook a high level of integration.

“There are a number of doors that have dorma door closers – we undertook integration for automatic swing, open/close and detection for late to close. There are also cameras looking at those doors so there’s low level integration there, too.”

Network infrastructure is integral to operation of the Medica security and safety system and it’s well worth dissecting network structure independently. For a start, the data backbone is fibre, with network switches on each level into which access controllers are ported. Operationally, recall and monitoring of the CCTV and access control systems are handled over the network from dedicated workstations. The Help Point system is also network-based.

“We are simply piggy-backing on the building’s fibre data backbone where required,” Churchill explains. “The way it works is that we have control gear – access control enclosures and the like – on each level – and we jump into the local network nodes to access the corporate LAN on each level and this allows the basement levels, the comms rooms and the control room to be tied together.

“From a network point of view we’ve had part of their LAN segregated for use by security systems as a VLAN. There are always pros and cons with that as far as bandwidth compromises but it gives Medica the flexibility to install additional subsystems on the network or grow existing systems as required.”

Not surprisingly, Kings Security worked alongside Medica’s IT team and Churchill says there was a lot of consultation prior to commissioning to get agreement on IP device schedules and plenty of mutual support throughout.

As you’d expect of a building like this, there’s serious UPS backing and security and related subsystems share that core UPS capability. There’s both battery and diesel generator support to ensure continuity of power supply during medical procedures which means security and safety systems are well served in this vital area.

This was a major install and Kings has a team of 6 installers on the site, while 4 technicians handled the commissioning of the system. Not surprisingly, Churchill says challenges arose that were typical of an integration of this size and complexity – the fact this was a complete build foremost among them.

“In terms of the physical cable plant, most is installed in trays and down common reticulation paths,” Churchill explains. “There’s one common riser from level 9 to level 1 which then skips across to another riser 20 metres away and descends another 9 floors underground.

“This presented a few problems especially with CCTV because our Cat5 cabling had to run down from level 9 to level B2 meaning we had to skip across a level but at the time the lower riser was closed up and this created a problem for all trades – electrical, hydraulic, mechanical – to gain access. Problems like these are normal on a wet site.”

Another challenge from the perspective of the Kings techs was that while the building needed to be handed over as a fully secure turnkey solution key IT infrastructure is always one of the last things installed.

“The way the project was completed certain areas weren’t commissioned or installed from an IT perspective,” Churchill explains. “High-end IT hardware is that last thing that goes in and while this is normal practise it hindered our ability to get the security system finished and handed over because parts of the security system and the Help Points were deployed over the data network.

“To get around this we had temporary measures in place which incorporated media converters connecting to their fibre backbone because there were no switches in the 18-odd nodes. Basically this meant we had no LAN – no copper – it was all fibre. As a result we were jumping from riser to riser with temporary media converters to get our system commissioned to the head end down at basement level.

Kings Security’s installation gives Medica Centre a capable and functional solution which offers serious access control and video surveillance functionality with plenty of expansion. The system also incorporates a range of other capabilities, including car park Help Points with CCTV integration, intercom, background music system and public address.

Meeting the elevated security levels demanded by the original specification, the Medica Solution also leaves room for growth and enhancement through an inherent networking capability. Not only are Honeywell’s access control modules and Fusion III DVRs at home on a shared data network, Kings’ decision to pull Cat5 cable to every camera offers future proofing of surveillance technology.

This is a landmark building – the first completely digital hospital in Australia. The security and safety system installed at the Medica Centre by Kings Security easily match the high standards of design and construction evident throughout this impressive site.