Assa Abloy: CLIQ Access control and mechanical locks work side-by-side at a major new London museum

It took an £83 million investment, stellar architects and a decade’s work to create a new London site for the Design Museum. This new space needed an access control system suited to such a high-profile project.

CLIQ access control has an established track record in the museums and heritage sector, so when the museum’s construction company were asked to recommend the best solution, they picked CLIQ.

Like many heritage properties, the Design Museum needed access control designed to protect high-value assets and exhibits. Devices must handle a contemporary 10,000 m² site including three galleries, a restaurant/café and an events space, with 100 permanent staff and hundreds (sometimes thousands) of daily visitors. The building has multiple door sizes and must meet British Standards compliance requirements.

CLIQ Protec² electromechanical locks now control access through 56 doors, forming part of a security ecosystem which also includes mechanical locks.

CLIQ is an easy-to-use access control system based on mechanical high-security cylinders combined with encrypted electronic locking and identification. Staff carry a single battery-powered CLIQ key, programmed with only the appropriate, preauthorised access permissions.

“We felt a traditional cylinder locking system wouldn’t work for us, because if keys were lost we’d have to replace the whole suite,” explains Brian Reeves, Head of Facilities at the Design Museum. “By using CLIQ we can just replace the lost key or cancel access.” So, CLIQ saves the Design Museum time as well as money.

Using the intuitive CLIQ software, security managers ensure every staff member only accesses the right areas. They can change or cancel a user’s permissions at any time, if personnel leave or change job roles. Contractors are issued with temporary programmable keys, which saves time formerly wasted escorting them around the building. CLIQ also enables integration with third-party cloud-based solutions — for control via a single, central management interface.

“The system also allows us to audit access, giving us more granular control over the building,” adds Reeves. “Any company that has a complex structure with different access requirements, or a high turnover of staff, would definitely benefit from the CLIQ system.”

About CLIQ: CLIQ is a security locking system with high-end microelectronics, programmable keys and cylinders. The system offers a variety of combinations of mechanical and electronic systems to match different security and flexible access needs. Available on the global market place, it provides flexible access and key management solutions for all kinds of locking applications.

About the Design Museum: The new Kensington site for London’s Design Museum opened to media acclaim in late 2016. For more about the museum, see https://designmuseum.com.

Photo: ASSA ABLOY