The Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp (KMSKA) houses an art collection of international stature. Seven centuries of art, the largest collection of Rik Wouters' works and the world’s most important James Ensor collection have turned the museum into one of the main attractions of the port city. The works of these world-famous masters are invaluable and attract each year over 100,000 visitors, both from Belgium and abroad.
The KMSKA is being rebuilt since 2011. The museum is closed, but behind the scenes people are working hard. A thorough restoration should result in one of the most beautiful museums in the world. A crucial aspect of the renewed museum is the security of the building itself, including its valuable contents. Under the authority of the Flemish Government, SERIS installed the complete security system.
- More than 270 cameras
- Supplemented by access control, artwork protection and more than 500 detection points
- Smart alarm feature
- Controlled from the control room
- Protection against theft and detection of vandalism
THE CHALLENGE
TIGHT SECURITY THAT BLENDS INTO THE WHOLE
The main challenge for such an atypical location is twofold. The works of art exhibited there are irreplaceable. On the one hand, security must therefore be more than watertight and, on the other, the technology used should not disturb the aesthetic experience. The fact that the good care and expertise of SERIS was chosen for this gives an enormous boost to the entire team.
OUR RESPONSE TO THIS
INTEGRATED SECURITY
Where the security of the KMSKA used to consist of several separate elements, SERIS installed an integrated system that can be entirely controlled from a control room using a central interface. All the information that now comes in through the cameras, detection points and tags is brought together in one central location, which will much quicker give a clear picture of any potential problem.
In consideration of the aesthetic requirements, minimalist cameras have been selected and painted in the colour of the wall on which they are mounted. In this way, the works of art can be enjoyed to the fullest in the majestic museum galleries.
To make the integration even more complete, an SMS (Security Management System) has been installed, integrating not only access control, CCTV, artwork protection and intrusion detection, but also the fire detection and building management systems, mobile communications and lighting controls.
FUTURE-PROOF WITH NUMEROUS OPTIONS FOR EXPANSION
The system that has been installed meets all the needs of the KMSKA today, but has also been designed to meet the demands of tomorrow. For instance, with some additional programming, this security concept can also be used for crowd control. Furthermore, tracking functions, amongst other things, can already be implemented as well.
Are you facing a challenging security issue
requiring a tailor-made approach?
Contact us on +32 (0)16 68 98 68 or by e-mail on
information.technology@seris.be.