Sustainable Student Accommodation Secured by Aperio Wireless Locks from ASSA ABLOY

The University of Liverpool recently made the decision to secure its student accommodation with Aperio from ASSA ABLOY, an RFID wireless door control solution that allows for the simple upgrade of mechanical locks so that they can communicate with an existing access control system.

Vine Court, a development that received an “excellent” BREEAM rating, forms part of the University of Liverpool’s extensive sustainable accommodation program. Comprising shops, a 250-seat restaurant and 749 en-suite bedrooms, the residences benefit from rainwater harvesting, solar thermal water heating and low-energy lighting and heating systems.

In a competitive tender process, ASSA ABLOY’s Aperio emerged as the most cost-effective and easy-to-install security solution – in part because it can be fitted without the need to modify any doors.

Darren Clark, senior projects manager at the University of Liverpool, said Aperio stood out from the competition.

“Aperio appealed to us because of its innovative design and ability to work as an integral part of the wider AGS security solution – which can encompass hard-wired, wireless and fire-free access control,” Clark said.

The Aperio offline locking solution allows for easy egress via the door handle when required and supports the client’s preferred MIFARE RFID credentials. It was also important to the client that the system could be migrated to MIFARE DESFire at a later time – without necessitating a change of door hardware.

Similarly, the University of Liverpool can upgrade to Aperio online at a later date to take advantage of additional features such as real-time audits and instant updates of access restrictions through the existing access control system.

Other products used to secure Vine Court include Aperio escutcheons, the new UNION keyULTRA master key system and UNION 2C25 night latch cases.

“The key to the success of this project was the close working partnership between all parties involved,” Tabitha Morton, sales director at ASSA ABLOY Access Control, concluded.