Insights and Inspiration from
the World of Access
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Categories: Sustainability
Beyond Timber: 5 Natural Construction Materials for Sustainable Homes
As a material, concrete has been the backbone of the modern construction industry thanks to its versatile and durable nature. It’d be hard to imagine the 20th century without concrete. However, there’s also a rising awareness about concrete’s significant adverse environmental impacts: Cement is the source of about eight percent of global carbon emissions. The construction and demolition of […]
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Categories: Urbanization
Bats Can Help Us Design Better Cities. Here’s How.
Popular culture doesn’t always portray bats in a favorable light. In many of the stories we consume about bats, they’re spooky and scary animals commonly spotted in the horror genre. When bats populate a scene, it’s usually bad news for the characters. Most recently, the world’s only flying mammal species have been in the limelight […]
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Categories: Security
Faces As Boarding Passes: Top 3 Questions Answered
Despite the lingering misconceptions about facial recognition technologies, they’re becoming more and more prevalent in many areas of our lives where security is concerned. Especially since facial recognition can facilitate a touch-free process of access, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the widespread acceptance and adaptation of these technologies. In addition, many governments, airports, and airline companies took the […]
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Categories: Urbanization
Here’s Why Japan Decided to Build Smart Cities From Scratch
Japan is arguably going through the biggest demographic challenge of modern history. After lingering around zero growth at the beginning of the 21st century, Japan‘s population has continued to shrink since 2010, with the decline rate accelerating in recent years. In 2022, the island nation, with a population of about 125 million, recorded its largest decline due to the combination […]
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Categories: Urbanization
Toward a Circular Future: Can We Recycle Skyscrapers?
Our built environment is one of the top contributors to climate change, currently generating about 40 percent of annual global emissions. As the world needs 13,000 buildings a day to keep up with the ongoing demand due to rapid urbanization and population growth, some of these buildings are also inevitably getting old and are in need of replacement. When a building […]
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Categories: Society
These Are The World’s Most Famous Fictional Doors
Nobody knows who invented doors, but the oldest ones appear in Egyptian tomb paintings from 4,000 years ago, where they signified a passage to the afterlife. In many of the world’s mythological stories, most beloved fairytales, and in popular culture, doors represent openings, journeys, transformations, opportunities, and sometimes, obstacles and mystery. As they’re steeped in cultural and symbolic […]
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Categories: Architecture
These 5 Buildings Rocked Earthquake-Proof Designs
Dozens of buildings crumpled when a deadly earthquake hit Mexico City in 2017, but its gleaming Torre Reforma survived with just a few cracks. It's often said 'Earthquakes don't kill people, buildings do'.
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Categories: Architecture
Human-Centered Architecture: What is It and How It Makes a Difference
While buildings fulfill the most basic human needs like shelter and security, architecture impacts the emotional state of any person who interacts with it. Whether it's intended or not, a building can provoke a range of emotions such as belonging, awe, fear, or hope.
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Categories: Architecture
Keeping The Water Out: 4 Examples of Flood-Proof Architecture
Floods are among the most common and destructive natural disasters. They affected more than 2 billion people worldwide between 1987 and 2017, according to the World Health Organization. As floods keep increasing in frequency and intensity due to climate change, flood-proof architecture is becoming an issue of growing importance.
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Categories: Architecture
Disaster-resilient Architecture: How Architecture Can Reduce Risks
Over the last decades, natural disasters have been growing in strength and frequency as a result of climate change. The number of weather-related disasters has tripled over the previous 30 years. Furthermore, among the 20,000 earthquakes that shake the world every year, about 16 are in the magnitude of seven or higher.
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Categories: Security
How to Plan Accessible Evacuation Routes for Office Buildings
Emergencies and accidents can strike anyone, anytime, and anywhere, including the workplace. The United States Department of Labor includes both natural and humanmade incidents as a workplace emergency.
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Categories: Architecture
The Future of BIM: Internal Optimization and Interoperability
Despite different architectural styles, histories, and locations, Westminster Abbey, Cathedrals of Milan and Cologne, the Palace of Alhambra, and Stonehenge have many things in common. They're all iconic landmarks visited by millions of people a year.
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Categories: Security
4 Ways to Prevent Tailgating
Tailgating, the passage of an unauthorized person behind authorized personnel, is one of the most common physical security breaches. Also known as “piggybacking", tailgating often results from a random act of kindness such as holding the door to a stranger.
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Categories: Technology
The Lifespan of a Mechanical Lock System
Despite the growing appetite towards digital and high-tech entrance solutions, mechanical keys and locks remain the most popular market solutions due to their durability and affordability. Especially in residential settings, they're the most ubiquitous entrance methods and continue to record stable growth.
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Categories: Architecture
Big, Medium, Small: 3 Net-Zero Energy Buildings
Buildings and construction are responsible for 39 percent of the carbon emissions in the world. Operational emissions, meaning the energy required to heat, cool, or light a building, account for 28 percent of overall emissions.
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Categories: Security
Ditch the Door Wedge: Here’s Why Fire Doors Must Be Unobstructed
In facilities with high people flow such as restaurants, offices, or care homes, a closed door can be a hindrance in daily life. Especially following a hectic schedule, one might not always have a free hand to control a door. Even if they did, especially at a time when hand hygiene is a bigger priority than ever, people might be reluctant to touch a door.
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Categories: Society
Navigating for Health: Patient Flow in Hospitals
Patient flow is the movement of people within a healthcare facility. As one of the most crucial parts of hospital design, a successful patient flow ensures that the hospital can provide the right care at the right time while minimizing any potential risk of transmission of diseases.
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Categories: Technology
5 Reasons You Should Migrate to Cloud-Based Access Control
Recent technological developments in cloud computing have driven innovation in the security market, convincing companies of all sizes to switch from manual or electronic access control to cloud-based ones.
