Shopping del Sol – Asunción, Paraguay
Introduction
Shopping del Sol was the first shopping center in Paraguay, located on one of Asunción’s main avenues. With the recent extension of 49,000 m2 (160,761 ft2) it has become the premier mall of the city.
Its two levels is a unique design in the regional and integrates modern construction with natural spaces that enhance the exuberant environmental wealth of the country. This helps the mall attract large numbers of the public daily.
With its 180 commercial retailers, Shopping del Sol saw the need to implement a state-of-the-art security system, which would give confidence to the more than 600,000 monthly visitors who come to the mall for shopping, entertainment, and other leisure activities.
Considering these points, security was a top priority for Shopping del Sol, commissioning Paraguay-based security system integrator Keeper to update and integrate the current technology so that the entire shopping center was protected by the latest security technologies available on the market today.
Challenges
The recent expansion of Shopping del Sol's facilities, which doubled in size, required greater security coverage that would also integrate with all existing security solutions.
The shopping mall’s previous system consisted of four Intellex DVMS 16-channel DVRs, 10 PTZ cameras and 34 American Dynamics fixed cameras. Essentially, the CCTV System operated separately from other systems, and its functionality was not suited to ensure security in an establishment with that level of growth.
The main objective of the project was to transition from the existing analog system, based on Intellex, and migrate to an IP-based surveillance system. To achieve this, the shopping center selected victor Management Software for Unified Security, which allows the convergence of both technologies and gradually facilitates analog migration.
In addition, the shopping center wanted to integrate its fire system and leverage the graphic interface available as part of victor. This would enable the mall operators to link the fire system with the surveillance system.
Along with expanding the footprint of the shopping center itself, the parking area also underwent a considerable expansion, both in the front as well as the rear of the mall. The total parking spots increased to 1,600, which added more challenges to ensure the safety of shoppers and to protect vehicles parked in these large, expansive areas.
With a wireless intrusion solution Alert Alarm could more easily customize the system to fit the configuration of each store, such as covering the front doors as well as overhead doors in the loading area, and do so without having to pull wires, which would add to the cost, labor, and time involved in the project.
Solution
The expansion of Shopping del Sol required the integration of existing security solutions and adapting them to the needs of its new design.
"That’s why we chose the Tyco Security Products brand from Johnson Controls as a supplier,” said Gabriel Giussani, General Manager of Shopping Del Sol. “We appreciated that it allowed us to integrate new video surveillance systems consisting of addressable and monitorable sensors with the camera systems we had originally installed (also from the Johnson Controls brand portfolio), where we primarily had analog technology."
Taking into account the requirements and needs of Shopping del Sol, victor was chosen as the unifier of the systems because it could preserve the existing Intellex system, which used fixed and mobile cameras from American Dynamics and covered the oldest part of the mall. A year ago, the system added NVRS Video Support for Illustra cameras, and is now integrated with two NVR's from the Exacq Technologies brand with a set of more than 200 digital cameras mostly Illustra, complemented with 40 megapixel panoramic cameras in the parking lots.
Because the shopping center installed victor, the mall can also integrate the 4100ES Simplex Fire Detection Panel, which has expanded its initial 600 points to about 1,800 installed capacity points. In turn, the capacity of the panel has been expanded to cover the entire mall, and the carbon monoxide detectors in the parking area have also been connected to it. Convenient entrance points into the mall, as well as vehicular access points, have been covered with megapixel cameras that are recorded by NVR's from the Exacq Technologies brand. The interior, with more than 180 storefronts consisting of financial institutions, jewelers, and stores with more than 60 top brands, are covered by high-quality cameras that allow effective surveillance with high-resolution images and efficient coverage.
During the expansion project, new digital cameras were incorporated while the original part of the shopping center was reinforced with digital technology.
At the same time, Shopping del Sol added a new Command Center to enable security personnel to monitor the entire mall from a single location. The Command Center unifies all existing analog systems with the new IP-based surveillance systems.
"The way we decided to manage this project has to do with our history working with the Johnson Controls brands and Keeper, representatives in Paraguay. The strength and robustness of the portfolio of technology offered from the Johnson Controls brand was the primary factor in the decision process," added Giussani.
Security in the expanded Shopping del Sol is centered on the monitoring room, which is considered a paradigm in Paraguay. Previously, retail security was primarily based on human resources who are physically present in the mall. Video surveillance was traditionally used as a reinforcement. Today the heart of the security system is the Command Center, which is now complemented by human resources who have the ability to take immediate action should an incident occur.
"This was a very big challenge for us,” said Graciela Trinidad de Medal, President of Keeper. “It allowed us to combine the best solutions and leverage the existing infrastructure according to the requirements of a modern mall. This opened up a range of possibilities to integrate new technologies into the contracted security solution. As well, we gained the trust and respect of the client for future ventures.”
The Future
The project was designed to provide optimal management in the operation of the security systems. By selecting victor as the surveillance platform it enables the mall to expand its security system in the future due to growth. Sometime in the future, they also hope to take advantage of the video analytics capabilities the system offers.
In the short term, management of the mall hope to add access control which will integrate victor to manage all the security at the mall.
As a goal of the project, Shopping del Sol plans to have a complete security system, including fire, detection, and monitoring, which will provide absolute control of all areas. Considering the size of the establishment, the goal is a great challenge.The Customer – Shopping del Sol
Shopping del Sol was the first shopping center in Paraguay, located on one of the main avenues of Asunción. With the recent expansion of 49,000 m2 (160,761 ft2), it has become the premier shopping center of the city.
Inaugurated on October 19, 1995, it currently has more than 180 stores consisting of financial institutions, jewelry stores, a food court, and more than 60 retailers with top brands.
The Integrator – Keeper Strategic Security Solutions
Keeper, a company with three decades of experience in the Paraguayan market, maintains a vision and desire to provide first-class electronic security products and services. For Keeper, integration is a highly attractive service for customers, not only because it involves maximizing efficiency, allowing management of all security systems in one place, but also resulting in significant cost savings. In addition to providing solutions for electronic security systems, Keeper constantly innovates its solutions offerings and following market trends.
Today, with more and even better solutions, Keeper is a benchmark, and not just in the local market. The quality of their services has transcended borders, and their successful installations, such as the Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP), are used as models to replicate in other countries.
The Solutions Provider – Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and multi-industrial leader serving a wide range of customers in more than 150 countries. Our 120,000 employees create intelligent buildings, efficient energy solutions, integrated infrastructure-and-next generation transportation systems that work seamlessly together to deliver on the promise of smart cities and communities. Our commitment to sustainability dates back to our roots in 1885, with the invention of the first electric room thermostat. We are committed to helping our customers win and creating greater value for all of our stakeholders through strategic focus on our buildings and energy growth platforms. For additional information, please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com or follow us @johnsoncontrols on Twitter.
