FAQ #7 - "How come there are no added security measures to prevent an intruder from accessing the residential floors from the lobby or the lower garage?"

This is the seventh in a series of "Frequently-Asked Questions" about life in The Esplanade. To see the complete list of FAQs, click HERE. Please consider submitting to this list of FAQs by writing a question, and then a corresponding article to answer the question.

By Dan Hardebeck

Some Esplanade owners would like to see more security restricting access to the residential floors. However, not all are in agreement on this; others believe that increased security creates unnecessary expense and inconvenience, and could cause headaches when residents have guests to the building. Making the residential floors (2-9) more secure would require two components: 

• First, access from P1 to the residential floors via the SE stairwell must somehow be restricted. All other security measures are fairly moot so long as an intruder can go through the door next to the P1 elevator foyer, and up the SE stairwell to the residential floors. The P1 door, however, cannot be locked. It serves as a required fire exit from P1 to the outside, in case of fire in the P1 garage. In order to solve this dilemma, several solutions have been proposed over the years, including:
• A chain-link gate could be installed in the SE stairwell, blocking access to the residential floors, while still allowing free egress from P1 to the outside. None of the landings above floor 1 can accommodate such a gate, due to the placement of pipes and existing exit doors. However, a gate could be installed on floor 1, by reconfiguring a corner in the hallway, and taking a bit of space from the building manager's office (click image to enlarge):

• Another solution would be turning the SE stairwell door in P1 into an "emergency door," including a sign, a pushbar, an alarm, and possibly a 5-second delayed opening. Residents would have a fob that would allow them to pass through the door without the delay or the alarm. Intruders would set off an alarm when entering that stairwell. This would not actually prevent an intruder from accessing the residential floors, but would be a deterrent. UPDATE: This change was made in 2017; the P1 door to the SE stairwell is now an "emergency" door. An alarm sounds if the door is opened without a fob.

• Second, even if any of the above measures were taken, the elevators would also need to be secured. This could be done by locking the glass elevator foyer doors on P1, although this has been done in the past, and many residents considered it an annoyance.
  
  Another option for securing the elevators would be to activate the fob-readers in the elevators, and issue fobs to all residents. Some residents have pointed out that if the fob readers were activated in the elevators, then guests who enter through the lobby will be stuck there until a resident with a fob comes and activates the elevator for the guest. However, fob-readers could be on timers: for instance, fob-readers to activate the elevators might only be required from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
  
  Another possibility would be to put fob-readers on the P1 elevator foyer doors, but not in the elevators themselves. Fob-readers are somewhat more convenient than keys, and are more secure since fobs cannot be copied like keys. It has also been suggested that fob-readers could be installed on all exterior doors to the building for added security, and to eliminate wear-and-tear on the locks. UPDATE: A fob reader was installed on one of the P1 elevator foyer doors in 2017 and a keyed lock was installed on the other door. The P1 elevator foyer is now secured.

• One more security component which has been brought up several times is the ineffectiveness of lever-shaped door handles. On 12/22/12, Esplanade security video showed the individual pictured below break into the NE stairwell, simply by pushing down very hard on the exterior handle lever and breaking it. Several bikes were stolen at that time. A few weeks later, the building manager (at the time) replaced all exterior door levers with round knobs. However, the round knobs were not ADA-compliant, and were subsequently changed back to levers. The solution would be to replace the exterior levers with U-shaped handles, and install push bars on the inside, just as we have on the building's front door.

• Finally, there are also those who are fond of pointing out that even if all of the above measures were taken, the building is still only as secure as residents make it. The lobby video cameras show residents frequently letting non-residents walk in the front door, without stopping to question them. Presumably, even if the elevators were fob-activated, some residents would allow non-residents onto the elevator with them without question. 
  
  The bottom line is that residents of this building live in a downtown area, and the building cannot ever be made 100% secure. It is a residence, not a bank vault, and if one does not have a certain degree of comfort in this neighborhood, one should not live downtown. On the other hand, it should be noted that incurring reasonable costs and minor inconveniences to make the building more secure can be a good thing, even if it cannot be made 100% secure.