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Established in 1974, Al Fattan Properties specialize in
creating spectacular landmark projects both in their
home market and around the world. Located at the
very heart of DIFC just 17 km from the world’s busiest
international airport, the Currency House complex is a
prized asset in the Al Fattan property portfolio.
A shining symbol of the success of Dubai, the Al Fattan
Currency House consists of a 34-story commercial tower,
a 10-floor office block and a 25,000-square-foot retail
pavilion with high-end stores and fine dining.
Intelligent building
The state-of-the-art building, featuring a suite of
KONE elevators, was only completed in 2009, but the
breathtaking pace of change in Dubai means owners of
commercial property are under constant pressure to keep
innovating to stay ahead of the competition. Just six years
after it opened, KONE was requested to upgrade the
equipment with its latest People Flow Intelligence solutions.
“Al Fattan Properties became aware of several incidents
where uninvited people entered the offices on the upper
levels of the tower looking to access some of the various
offices,” explains
Ahmad Ayed
, Senior Modernization
Sales Engineer for KONE Middle East. “We were asked
to develop an access control system that could be
integrated with our elevators, essentially adding a further
level of security and intelligence to the building.”
KONE installed intelligent turnstiles that require an access
card to pass through. Once a person is through the turnstile,
a display screen on the turnstile directs the passenger to an
assigned elevator and automatically takes them to the correct
floor. For visitors to the Al Fattan Currency House, temporary
cards are programmed and issued at the building’s reception.
Improving people flow
In addition to security improvements, the KONE solution
provides a further efficiency benefit.
“At peak times before the modernization, the lobby areas
would become very busy and there could be quite a wait fo
the elevators to arrive. By installing the intelligent turnstiles
around 20 meters away from the elevators, the passenger
uses up the waiting time by walking to a designated elevator
instead of waiting by the elevator bank,” adds Ayed.
This was the first such project in the Middle East region,
and it further cemented the positive working relationship
between KONE and Al Fattan Properties.
Over the past three decades, Dubai has experienced rapid growth thanks to its strategic location linking west
to east and its world-class infrastructure projects. The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) aims to
develop the same financial stature as New York, London and Hong Kong by servicing the vast Middle East and
North Africa region.