Equans took part in the construction of the brand new main building for the Antwerp Police Zone
Centralisation where possible, devolution where necessary. This is the basis of the master plan for the premises of the Antwerp Police Zone. That’s why it is centralising its intervention operations in a brand new headquarters which is also BESIX's largest public-private partnership project in Belgium to date. The building is bursting with technology, developed and installed by Equans.
The new headquarters of the Antwerp Police Zone has been constructed at the Post X office complex in Berchem over recent years. All decision-making staff and support services of the local police will be based there. To that end, the building offers extensive office space, but also many police areas: interview and interrogation rooms, sports and training areas, an arrestee area, a cell complex, a car park, a canteen, and a high-tech shooting range with wireless control to simulate as realistic situations as possible (sound, light, smoke...). All this on ten above-ground and four underground floors, with two towers and a pedestal building brimming with modern technology.
"When we were awarded the contract in July 2020, we got to work straight away," says Kurt Cortebeeck, Department Manager for Smart Buildings at Equans Belux. "On one hand, we had to put together the 3D model by November 2020; on the other hand, we had to go start executing it from March 2021." What technology did Equans include? A lot, as it soon becomes clear.
An electrical masterpiece
To start with, Equans installed the entire electrical installation for the new building. "On the tower with sports and training facilities, we installed a medium-voltage and an emergency generator installation, as well as lightning protection, an installation for PV panels and a no-break installation for the transition between the medium-voltage and emergency generators."
"The medium voltage installation is on the top level of one tower, but of course we also had to feed the other tower. Putting an installation on both towers wasn’t an option. So we installed a busbar system from the roof of one tower across floor -1 to the roof of the other building."
The building saves energy in many ways. "For example, the lighting is KNX-controlled (automated) and energetically built as well as monitored on a BMS system (building management system). The office space is equipped with presence detectors with daylight and clock control. Daylight control ensures that in high light conditions, the lighting is automatically dimmed, but workspaces are always lit sufficiently."
Packed with state-of-the-art security technology
Of course, as a police headquarters, the building also has to meet the very highest security requirements. Bart Vits and Hans Van Dyck explain: "We had to work out the design in such a way that continuity was ensured at the level of the command room. This was only possible by installing an STS switch (Static Transfer Switch) that could ensure this by being able to switch between the normal grid, UPS power (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and an emergency generator.
In turn, the general low-voltage boards and distribution boards contain several UPS installed power supplies that ensure that the local low-voltage systems always remain in operation during any power outage."
Furthermore, Equans implemented a number of high-tech low-voltage security installations. "We chose to work with Equans' internal services as much as possible to install the following installations according to the mandatory standards: fire detection linked to the vital public address system, intrusion protection, aggression alarms linked to the CCTV installation and access control. There is also an installation for (video) calls and an intercom system for the entire arrestee area. All this technology is managed and monitored in an associated dispatch room and can also be controlled from there."
"For fire detection, intrusion detection, access control and aggression alarms, our people took care of the conception of the whole thing, under the supervision of Sven Van Moer. After installation, they commissioned everything on site." Equans also installed Winguard's Physical Security Integration Management (PSIM) software. Through this umbrella software, the police can monitor all security systems at a glance and manage them centrally.
State-of-the-art dispatch room and training centres
Equans helped build a new dispatch room for non-priority calls. "For example, we supplied the lighting for day and night, the desks and the screens."
Equans also introduced high-tech solutions in the training centres. For example, a VR rendering of Antwerp Central Station and the city's streets, to train police officers with the support of virtual reality. "The technology has to be easily adaptable behind the scenes, maximally functional or immediately backed up by a backup system if it does go down. So that the police never find themselves in a critical situation."
Providing connectivity
Finally, Equans worked on the structured cabling. In the process, Equans' data specialists took care of both coaxial cabling and 2G/4G coverage for providers, the necessary measurements and placement of Wi-Fi antennas, the entire ASTRID installation (a communication network for police and emergency services) and connecting it all to a fibre network. 2G/4G reception is achieved via the same cabling as ASTRID. The backbone fibre cabling is fully modular with microducts. The whole fibre and copper network is redundant. Even for ASTRID coverage, in certain zones. In addition, the building has a data centre with 85 data racks, powered via separate UPSs.
In use very soon
Equans managed to complete this high-tech task within the scheduled timeframe, with the final parts of the job completed by 4 December 2022. At the end of March 2023, BESIX received the availability certificate. Soon, the police will be able to officially open the building.
For the next 25 years, Equans will be responsible for the maintenance of the headquarters - including all required replacement investments, both preventive and remedial. Throughout that time, Equans' maintenance service must ensure that the building continues to meet output specifications and regulations at all times. This allows the Antwerp Police Zone to remain fully focused on its core tasks for the safety of everyone.
