Centre Paul Klee Berne
Group work on art building
Art is valuable, especially when the artist is Paul Klee. Security was therefore of utmost importance when the new Paul Klee Centre in Bern was being designed. Due in part to the efforts of the Securitas Group, the paintings of the famous artist were successfully transferred to the new exhibition space, and the security of the art, the public, and the centre’s personnel is guaranteed for the future. Even before its official opening on 20 June 2005, this architecturally striking building had become a Bern landmark – you can see the three large “waves" from the A6 autobahn. But not only because of its outer appearance is this new museum making waves – it houses the world’s largest collection of Paul Klee works. And the Securitas Group has contributed in a number of important ways to make this possible.
Swiss debut – the move
Shortly before the topping-out ceremony, Securitas AG began construction site surveillance. During the entire construction phase the grounds were constantly monitored at stratigically important points during the day and were patrolled with dogs at night. The security console setup was also given support by Securitas staff. The first major hurdle for all involved was moving the pictures into their new domicile. Under strict secrecy and police protection, part of the extensive collection was moved from the Bern art museum to the cultural treasure protection room of the new centre. Within a short time an autonomous burglary and fire detection system was implemented by Securiton with additional Securitas monitoring and intervention standby. This first hurdle was mastered without a hitch. Around 4,000 works with a total value of several hundred million francs were temporarily stored in the security depot prepared for them.
Security demands in conflict
The next stage of the security plan began with storing the works in the Paul Klee Centre. The necessary fire protection requirements were in part at odds with the desired burglary protection measures. Solutions to conflicts had to be carefully weighed and decisions made, for example the conflict between escape routes and burglary protection. Further, the enterprise as such and the needs of the personnel had, of course, also to be taken into account. The security system implemented in the Paul Klee Centre consists of a number of Securiton product groups: the SecuriPro burglary and fire detection system, the AccessPro access control system, a video surveillance system, and the SLS-Pro security management system. These security systems from Securiton are also interactively networked to several other third-party systems. These include a smoke exhaust system, rescue route technology, various building technology and communication systems, and others. The security staff of the Paul Klee Centre also have at their disposal the SLS-Pro security management system, which merges the various protection elements into a single unity. This system enables staff to operate and evaluate all security systems.
Traffic and events under control
The Securitas traffic service was at work to regulate construction site traffic during the construction phase and the opening. And when the automatic carpark management system was still experiencing growing pains at the beginning, the Securitas staff ensured that everything went smoothly. Securitas played another important role during the opening week when its versatile events service was present at several events hosted by the founders of the center.
Security with a capital "S"
For every event in the Paul Klee Center there is an unobtrusive protection system in place for security. Appropriate to a project of this scale, during the planning and building of the museum a great deal of attention was given to being prepared for all contingencies, no matter how far-reaching. Thus Contrafeu installed 60 fire extinguishers in the building, most which are foam extinguishers; but in the area where the Klee paintings are restored, water fire extinguishers had to be installed. This customer requirement meant that Contrafeu had to have these extinguishers especially certified for Switzerland (up to then they had been used only in European Union countries). For the Securitas Group, a founding partner, construction of the Paul Klee Centre was a welcome opportunity to demonstrate its versatility as a group, one that has a solution for virtually all security issues.
