Cities around the world are seeing a rapid rise in mixed-use developments that combine residential, commercial, and public spaces within the same property.
Cities around the world are seeing a rapid rise in mixed-use developments that combine residential, commercial, and public spaces within the same property. From high-rise complexes with offices, shops, and apartments to community hubs with hotels and entertainment zones, these environments create opportunities for efficient land use and vibrant urban living.
But for security professionals, they also introduce one of the most complex access control challenges in modern building management.
Each group of occupants has different access requirements, schedules, and levels of authorization. Balancing these needs while maintaining security, convenience, and privacy requires more than just traditional hardware. It demands integrated systems, automation, and a new approach to access control design.
Complex environments, diverse users
“Mixed-use environments struggle with multiple user groups - residents, office staff, shoppers, and visitors - requiring different access schedules and rules,” said Hanchul Kim, CEO of Suprema. “They also face infrastructure complexity with separate controllers, servers, or sub-systems for each zone, and the challenge of balancing openness with protection in public lobbies, parking, and shared amenities.”
These environments often rely on separate systems for each area, which can result in operational silos and increased maintenance costs.
According to Kim, a cloud-native, edge-based approach helps overcome this. “Each smart reader acts as its own controller, removing the need for local servers or VPNs,” he said. “Multi-tenant management lets different groups coexist under one platform while maintaining isolated policies. Multi-site support allows a single administrator to manage residential, retail, and office towers together without fragmented systems.”
For system integrators, such architectures simplify deployment and reduce hardware dependencies, making it easier to scale and maintain unified control across large, multi-zone properties.
Balancing security and convenience
Achieving the right balance between security and user experience remains one of the biggest challenges in mixed-use buildings. Richard Tsui, Senior Technical Account Manager for Asia at Gallagher, explained that while these facilities must stay secure, they also need to remain accessible and comfortable for daily users.
“Balancing security and convenience in complex buildings presents a significant challenge, as diverse end users have varying access requirements,” Tsui said. “Since these buildings are not classified as high-security facilities, achieving an optimal equilibrium between robust protection and user-friendly access is paramount.”
Tsui highlighted that the key lies in adopting a hybrid model that combines different access technologies through a unified management platform.
“In our experience, we used Gallagher Command Centre to integrate advanced technologies such as mobile credentials, biometric authentication, wireless door locks, QR code access, and car park management,” he said. “This multifaceted approach ensures seamless and efficient building access for users while upholding stringent security standards.”
Such integration allows property managers to fine-tune security for different user groups, ensuring employees, residents, and visitors can move efficiently through shared spaces without compromising control or oversight.
The role of identity management and automation
With the growing number of tenants and staff turnover in large complexes, manual credential management is no longer practical. James Clark, Director of Sales for EMEA & APAC at AMAG Technology, noted that identity management automation has become essential in such environments.
“When managing a mixed-use property, you are dealing with several different populations at once: residents, employees, contractors, retail staff, and the public,” Clark said. “Each group has different risk profiles and needs, which makes credentialing and policy enforcement tricky. That is where identity management becomes critical.”
Clark added that automation can eliminate inefficiencies and minimize risks associated with manual processes. “A platform like Symmetry CONNECT automates the whole lifecycle: onboarding, approvals, and access group assignments, so you are not relying on manual processes,” he said.
He also emphasized that staff turnover in commercial and retail sectors intensifies this challenge. “Another challenge is the constant employee churn in these environments. Think about retail employees or tenant turnover, and people are always coming and going,” Clark said. “If you do not have automated onboarding and offboarding, you will have outdated credentials floating around.”
Automation ensures that user access rights are always current, preventing security lapses that might occur when credentials are not revoked promptly.
Moving beyond plastic badges
Traditional access cards have long been the standard for credentialing, but managing them can be expensive and time-consuming. Lost or damaged cards need to be replaced, printers require maintenance, and logistics can become cumbersome for large multi-tenant properties. Clark said that mobile credentials are quickly becoming a practical alternative.
“There is the issue of cards and badges,” he said. “Managing printers, shipping, and replacement costs gets expensive fast. With Symmetry Wallet, you can push secure mobile credentials right to someone’s phone. It eliminates the plastic badge hassle and gives administrators more control over issuing and revoking access.”
Mobile credentials also meet the growing demand for contactless and environmentally friendly solutions. For integrators, offering mobile credential options can be a way to modernize legacy systems and provide clients with a more cost-efficient and flexible approach to access control.
The shift toward cloud and edge architectures
Cloud-native and edge-based access control systems are reshaping how security is managed across distributed facilities. These systems allow each reader or device to act independently while communicating securely with the cloud, removing the need for centralized on-premise servers.
Edge-based systems also ensure continuity during network outages. Even if the connection to the cloud is lost, devices can continue enforcing policies locally, maintaining security until connectivity is restored.
For integrators, this reduces infrastructure costs and streamlines installation, as fewer controllers and servers are needed.
Managing multiple tenants under one system
Multi-tenant management is increasingly important in mixed-use properties where various stakeholders operate independently but share the same infrastructure. Kim said this allows administrators to maintain control and consistency while ensuring data isolation for each tenant.
“Multi-tenant management lets different groups coexist under one platform while maintaining isolated policies,” Kim said. “Multi-site support allows a single administrator to manage residential, retail, and office towers together without fragmented systems.”
For integrators, such unified systems simplify operations, reduce duplication of hardware, and enable standardized security policies across multiple buildings or sites. For end users, it ensures a seamless and consistent experience regardless of the type of access they require.
Integrating systems for holistic security
Integrators are also playing a key role in connecting access control with other security systems, including video surveillance, parking, and visitor management. Tsui said that comprehensive integration leads to stronger security and more efficient building operations.
Open architecture platforms like Gallagher Command Centre and AMAG’s Symmetry solutions support such interoperability through APIs, enabling integrators to connect new technologies as they emerge without redesigning the entire system.
Emerging trends in access control for mixed-use properties
The evolution of mixed-use buildings is driving innovation in how access control systems are designed and deployed. Several key trends are shaping this shift:
Increased adoption of mobile and biometric credentials to enhance convenience and eliminate reliance on physical cards.
- Cloud and edge-based architectures that simplify deployment, reduce infrastructure needs, and support scalability across multiple sites.
- Automation of identity management to reduce administrative workload and eliminate credential-related risks.
- Integration across building systems for unified management of security, operations, and user experience.
As cities continue to expand vertically and functionally, security integrators will play an essential role in designing systems that protect diverse users without creating friction in daily operations.
Mixed-use environments may be complex, but as experts like Kim, Tsui, and Clark highlight, the right combination of cloud connectivity, automation, and interoperability can transform that complexity into a streamlined, secure, and user-friendly experience.