Johnson Controls helping secure Adelaide Airport
Johnson Controls is a single-source provider of integrated smart and sustainable building systems, services and solutions. The comprehensive life-cycle approach to in-building technology and operations includes planning and design, installation, integration, optimisation and maintenance.
With a history of more than 135 years of innovation, Johnson Controls delivers smart building management systems to industries including healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums and manufacturing through its comprehensive digital offering OpenBlue. With a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries, Johnson Controls offers the world's largest portfolio of building solutions in areas such as, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC), building automation and controls, fire detection and suppression, industrial refrigeration and security.
Our products are installed in more than 43% of commercial buildings in Australia and in 90% of the world’s most iconic buildings. Our local projects include hospitals, data centers, defence bases, educational institutes, factories and warehouses, telecommunications, healthcare companies, pharmaceutical and food manufacturing.
Take-off at Adelaide Airport
Adelaide International Airport is the fifth largest domestic and international airport in Australia. As the aviation gateway to South Australia, the airport covers an area of nearly 800 hectares and handles more than eight million passengers annually. The single terminal building measures approximately 850 meters end to end and is equipped with 14 glass-sided aerobridges. Operational since 2005, Adelaide Airport has been playing a vital role in driving South Australia’s growth in the tourism and industrial markets.
As part of its goal to provide the best service experience to customers, Adelaide Airport engaged Johnson Controls for a AUD$165 million terminal expansion project in 2019. The key focus of the 33-month project is to enhance the security management system within the airport. Adelaide Airport required a fully integrated IP security solution that would provide 24/7 critical security, and also aid in the efficient flow of a projected 10 million passengers each year.
Adelaide Airport will also be upgrading other parts of its infrastructure. This includes expanding the international arrivals and departure areas to create a more comfortable passenger experience. The airport is also looking to introduce 80% more retail and dining options for domestic and international travelers.
Turbulence with Covid
There were several challenges surrounding the terminal expansion project. The primary concern is to carry out the upgrading work on the security management system without impacting or shutting down the Adelaide Airport. Similarly, integration of various facilities-wide building systems — over 15 interconnected systems including HVAC, CCTV, Aircraft nose in guidance systems, Airport lighting and fire protection — has to be carried out with zero down time to the airport. Additionally, the flow of domestic and international passengers within the terminal building must be properly managed and with minimal inconvenience to the travelers, whilst ensuring secure Australian boarder control.
Johnson Controls worked with key stakeholders to develop a detailed project timeline. To ensure the project stayed on track, consideration had to be given throughout the many stages of the project in addition to the managing the pandemic. One such strategy was having Johnson Controls project management staff, embedding themselves as part of the Adelaide Airport team. This helped to enable lateral thinking and cooperation to ensure the best outcomes throughout the many stages of the project and during the Covid pandemic.
Supersonic Potential
Johnson Controls has been working with Adelaide Airport to secure all the critical terminals areas for the last 15 years. Over the years, more functionalities have been added to the system in response to changing legislation in the aviation industry and as the passenger volume grew.
For the latest terminal expansion project, Johnson Controls CEM AC2000 AE (Airport Edition) is providing Adelaide Airport with a flexible, resilient and customisable security solution that meets its unique and growing security requirements. Used by many of the world’s leading airports for over 25 years, the AC2000 AE is a powerful, resilient, aviation-specific access control and integrated security management system. It provides a fully integrated solution by using a suite of extended, comprehensive operational applications and seamlessly integrating them with third party external systems.
The AC2000 AE system is used for managing access throughout Adelaide Airport and preventing unauthorised access to secure areas within the facility. The system serves over 200,000 cardholders with some 800+ access controlled entry points.
Some key features of Johnson Controls CEM AC2000 airport security management system designed for Adelaide Airport include:
- The deployment of S700e IP card readers with advanced smart card technology. These readerse have been installed throughout the facility to secure access gates, air-bridges, check-in desks, and other protected access points. The onboard BaseT Ethernet connection on each card reader communicates directly with the AC2000 host serve, which removes the need for an intelligent control panel in the system design.
The S700 reader range uses an internal database for offline card validation. The card database is initially downloaded to the readers’ memory from the host computer with subsequent changes to card data automatically sent as updates. This ensures the reader has up to date card information when operating in off-line mode. The internal database ensures zero downtime and provides the highest level of security for those areas which require additional security like airside or landside boundaries within the airport.
The graphical LCD is used to display a number of predefined messages to the card holder depending on their privileges, such as wrong zone, access granted, lost/ stolen card. The device also shows users such as airline staff which door mode the reader is in, for instance passenger mode or lobby mode. Passenger mode allows a door to be kept open for a prolonged and set period.
This feature is particularly useful for Adelaide Airport when there are large numbers of passengers disembarking from a plane and passing through a door or series of doors in a short period of time. Johnson Controls has designed Adelaide Airport-specific card reader ‘door modes’ that allow the airport to automatically segregate international/domestic and arriving/departing passengers. This helps to manage the flow of passengers within the airport in a safe, efficient and timely manner.
- The installation of Johnson Controls emerald™ intelligent touch screen terminals, which is a range of advanced IP access terminals. A total of 500 terminals have been customised for essential staff and airlines at the boarding gates in Adelaide Airport. These touch screen terminals control critical paths and restricted zones as well as all cargo, staff and crew are processed before gaining airside access. This is an important part of the security operations for Adelaide Airport where the highest level of security is required.
Johnson Controls has customised the card readers to provide access control to common use passenger lifts, covering 4 levels of Adelaide Airport including the arrivals and departures level. Using special door operation modes, lift operation is linked to the card readers, so that if the reader is in departures mode, the associated lift will part itself at the departures level for use by departing passengers only. Likewise, if the reader status is changed to arrivals mode, the card reader signals the lift controller to arrivals mode which ensures the lift parks itself at the arrivals level for use by arriving passengers.
A smooth landing
By integrating the business and IT, airport, and building systems, Johnson Controls helps Adelaide Airport create safe, productive environments and improve its overall efficiency. The CEM AC2000 AE (Airport Edition) is helping the airport streamline its communications and workflow, respond appropriately to travellers, employees and tenants, while ensuring high levels of security.
Despite the pandemic, Johnson Controls successfully delivered the Adelaide Airport terminal expansion remit that included the security management system upgrade. With the CEM AC2000, the airport has improved employee and airline staff experience by reducing congestion and ensuring optimization of access control to boarding gates, baggage handling areas and administration facilities. Adelaide Airport has also ensured that the life expectancy of the access control system is future proofed for the next 10-15 years.
