Bosch provides scalable security solution at Port Praski in Warsaw, Poland

One of Europe’s largest architectural projects, Port Praski occupies an area of 38 hectares that overlooks the Vistula River in the heart of Poland's capital Warsaw. Likened to a ‘city inside a city’, the ambitious multi-stage development provides more than 160,000 m² of residential accommodation and 190,000 m² of office space. Retail areas, hotels and restaurants, extensive green spaces and a purpose-built media park are also on offer.

Creating a safe, secure environment to live, work and relax was a priority for Port Praski’s developers. To achieve this, Bosch Building Technologies was selected to provide an integrated solution that spans fire detection systems, video security and a site-wide building management platform. So why choose Bosch? First and foremost, Port Praski’s developers needed a trusted partner with the scale, technical expertise, resources and track record to provide support through all phases of such a large, multi-stage project over an extended period of time. Recognition and trust of the Bosch name was also a big advantage for the port, reflecting the high expectations of residential and commercial clients for the quality and exclusivity of their environment.

Round the clock security is provided by a blend of bullet-, dome- and moving cameras by Bosch that keep watch over outdoor and underground areas, building entrances, garages and elevators. Centralised control of cameras, storage and recording systems is streamlined by the intuitive, easy to use Bosch Video Management System (BVMS) that can scale as needed to accommodate video, audio and data from thousands of cameras. Port Praski required a video security solution that would ensure privacy and discretion for its up-scale residents who include VIPs and celebrities. To achieve this, camera images are carried over a totally private IP network that’s isolated from the Internet to prevent hacking or interception of sensitive data. Extra peace of mind for occupants is assured by the video management platform’s masking function that obscures apartment windows and other ‘private’ areas from the outdoor cameras’ field of view.

Port Praski developers also demanded a state-of-the-art fire alarm system to maintain round-the-clock safety of residents, businesses and visitors. Therefore, they have chosen the Modular Fire Panel 5000 Series from Bosch, which meets latest legislative requirements. What’s more, it gives occupants and tenants the assurance of a reliable solution to minimise false alarms, together with effective redundancy across the system to avoid any single point of failure. Protection of at-risk areas includes optical and optical-thermal detectors in garages and smoke aspiration system in lift shafts, plus further detectors in inter-ceiling spaces.The system is complemented by the Building Integration Platform BIS, which supports centralised management and monitoring of distributed security systems across the entire site.

Port Praski is growing all the time. That is why site developers required a future-proof solution with the capacity, bandwidth and flexibility to scale smoothly with plans for the port’s further expansion. As an illustration of this, video security systems can be upgraded as required by adding higher resolution cameras, without requiring replacement of the current IP network infrastructure and BVMS. Similarly, further phases of construction may see the number of installed security cameras – already numbering in the hundreds – increase significantly over the next few years.