High above the Sonnenstein district of Pirna lies Sonnenstein Castle, a partially preserved 13th-century fortress that was originally built to protect the trade routes from Stolpen to Prague and from Konigstein to Meissen. Situated on a rocky plateau about 70 meters above the Elbe, the castle has had a colorful history over the centuries, and since December 2011 has housed the administrative headq...
High above the Sonnenstein district of Pirna lies Sonnenstein Castle, a partially preserved 13th-century fortress that was originally built to protect the trade routes from Stolpen to Prague and from Konigstein to Meissen. Situated on a rocky plateau about 70 meters above the Elbe, the castle has had a colorful history over the centuries, and since December 2011 has housed the administrative headquarters' district administration office of the region. As part of a public-private partnership (PPP) between the district and the Bilfinger Berger construction group (a partnership that was honored by the PPP 2011 innovation prize in Berlin on May 3, 2011), the historic building complex was fully renovated and converted in less than three years. Construction work began in January 2009 and by December 2011, Sonnenstein Castle was ready for business again. Bosch Security Systems was tasked with providing security measures at the fortress. The complexity of the site and the specific regulations relating to listed buildings meant that Bosch had to overcome a range of challenges both in terms of planning and construction.
Covering a total area of 17,700 m2, the building complex consists of the "town" wing and "Elbe" wing, as well as a car park, gatehouse, cafeteria, and library, with the car park also providing space for the public order office vehicles.
In order to protect the historic site, the series 5000 modular fire detection system was installed along with 540 fire detectors. Smoke extraction systems are used in areas that require higher levels of security, such as the server and IT rooms to ensure that fire is detected at an early stage. All emergency exit doors are also controlled via the fire panel.
More than 150 motion detectors and over 400 window and door contact points guarantee security and provide continuous monitoring via two networked intrusion control panels (MAP5000). Entry to the different areas of the building can be controlled separately. While some areas can be freely accessed by the public, other areas – such as the IT rooms – are permanently alarmed, and must only be entered by those with special admission rights. The site management also made some additional requests, such as automatic heating regulation. This requirement was met by fitting magnetic contacts to the windows. These send signals to the intrusion control panel, from where they are transmitted to the central building control system via a data interface. If it is reported that a window is open in a certain area, the heating valves are adjusted accordingly. The pay stations in the public area of the car park are also secured via an intrusion control panel.
In order to regulate access by both district administration office employees and guests, a system was installed that combines an online access control system with offline readers and digital Pegasys locking cylinders. The identification carriers for the system are multi-functional, contact-free proximity tokens that use the BSI-certified MIFARE DesFIRE EV1 method of reading and encryption. Management and administration tasks are carried out via the BIS Access Engine management system. This software also controls the numerous motor locks on all of the automatic doors. The task of integrating the existing personnel time recording system into the new system represented a particular challenge. However, the multi-functional Bosch access control system proximity tokens were able to solve this problem. Fitting them with an integrated chip in order to use printers and photocopiers means that just one single medium is required for regulating access, operating bollards and barriers, recording personnel times.
When it comes to technology, the renovation of Sonnenstein Castle and the security measures that were put in place have truly made it a 21st-century building.