Based on a site in the heart of Newcastle Upon Tyne directly opposite St James Park Football Stadium and the Newcastle University Business Centre is a modern district being constructed by George Downing Construction Ltd.

The construction site is part of a number of projects within the city centre including the new bioscience buildings.

Downing operates across three successful divisions mixed-use development, property management and construction.

This unique approach arms them with the breadth of experience and skill to maximise value, quality and use of space where others would fall short. As a mixed-use developer they are operational across four northern cities – Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester.

George Downing Construction (GDC) is the group's in-house construction arm. The company handles the main contracting role of all our construction requirements and employs 45 highly skilled individuals. This expertise minimises risk and ensures projects are delivered on time and in budget.

The holistic approach is the key to their sustainability. By refusing to be one dimensional they maintain a thriving investment portfolio and are continuing to grow as a major force in the property industry.

In August 2010 GDC decided to specify a new biometric turnstile access control system to replace an existing product which proved not fit for purpose. They were using the two fingerprint readers, however because the technology utilised dated optical readers they would not stand up to the harsh environment of a construction site and would regularly not scan construction workers fingerprints.

The readers would also create queue problems because workers had to enter a 6 digit code prior to scanning their fingerprint and because the site has over 300 employees this was causing major problems especially for those forgetting their pin code.


It is estimated that the biometric system will have up to 800 people registered. The system will be on the site for a total of 86 weeks and then moved to a new GDC site. The site secretary Jacqueline Pearson, controls all of the security system from one PC on site. She believes the main advantage of ievo and Net2 is how it is easy to use.

The setup of the biometric system on site is a double turnstile positioned in a cabin at the fron of the site.

An ievo reader is placed on both sides of the turnstile. Construction staff then approach the turnstile, scan their finger on the reader and proceed through the turnstile if access has been granted. This event is recorded in real time on the Net2 software and can be used later for administration.

Jacqueline said: "We wanted a biometric system because we knew traditional card systems are corruptible and here at GDC we take health and safety very seriously. So knowing who is on site all of the time can be very advantageous not only for health and safety purposes but also from a time and attendance perspective.

"I can now run 100% accurate reports telling which employees or contractors are on site and integrate this system with our payroll ensuring sub contractors don't get over paid and any disputes are quickly resolved because the biometric evidence is irrefutable.

"We also wanted to get rid of using a pin code and just want workers to be able to scan and enter on site, this would drastically cut down on queues when workers come on and off site.

"With ievo there is no need to enter a pin code, workers can simply scan their finger and this greatly reduces the time it takes to get through the turnstile.

"We also use the anti pass back facility on the software which means the system will not let personnel staff scan off unless they have scanned on and vice versa. This is critical for health and safety because we know exactly who is on site. When we run a fire drill we can compare the software report to actual people on site. We have ran a number of these reports and they have been 100% accurate."

Phoenix Eye was approached to tender for the installation of the Biometric readers and other security services and won the project. Phoenix Eye decided to specify the ievo biometric reader because of its supreme reliability. Using a multi spectral imaging fingerprint sensor ievo doesn't have the same problems as other biometrics. The reader is able to scan through levels of dirt, dust, high ambient light, water and even some latex gloves, it's also ideal for the contractors on site whom sometimes have poor fingerprints through damage or dirt.

The reader is also fully I.P rated and is of a strong robust and ergonomic design making it easy for the staff to use on site. The reader was easily integrated and Paxton's Net2 ACU and software which Phoenix Eye use regularly making it the obvious choice.

Security Consultant of Phoenix Eye, Michael Bellis said: "Having seen two ievo readers in harsh environments I knew this was the right product for GDC.

"They had already used biometrics and believed in the concept but were disappointed at previous technology results. When we demonstrated the capabilities of ievo readers and the reporting information they could get from the use of the complete system they quickly gave us the go ahead to install.

"Cost was also a significant factor for the customer because they wanted a system that could be relied upon for accurate information without costing the earth. Despite the ievo technology being far superior to that which they had in place the cost was also significantly less," he concluded.

(CD/BMcC)