La Salle Bonanova is a large prestigious private high school on the outskirts of Barcelona at the foot of the Tibidabo mountain. A new comprehensive and flexible access management system has recently brought peace of mind for students, teachers, and parents.

Passing the enormous palm trees in front of the impressive sandstone main building, you get the feeling you’re entering an ancient palace. Architect Ignasi Romañá took his inspiration from the monastery of Poblet, a little village in Catalonia. The school was inaugurated in 1889 by the Brothers Institute of Christian Schools, which is a Roman Catholic teaching order. Nowadays, it’s considered one of the ten best schools in Spain.

After several buildings have been added over the last decades, and the entire building complex now has a minimum of eight pavilions. Some of the students live in one of the 153 comfortable guestrooms on campus. The school complex also features study rooms, an exceptional library, as well as a lunch and dining room.

Students play team and individual sports in the sports center; they can even swim in the pool and relax in the spa. The campus also boasts a museum of mineralogy, a museum of birds and butterflies, as well as a museum of botany. The school is also home to several churches and even a theater with a capacity of 1151 seats.

Easy and secure

Scooters wiz past. The last three cars dropping children off have just left. Director Juan Carlos Jara Reig is looking out of the high windows, smiling. All his students have arrived on time – with no hold-ups or stress. The day-to-day running of the school’s many different facilities needed to be more efficient, convenient and secure. Smart access technologies offered the perfect solution.

An advanced access management system was introduced for securing buildings, rooms, and areas. It also monitors various building services. Physical components such as road barriers, turnstiles, mechanical locks, and cylinders complete the set-up along with electric drives and door closers.

“It has improved the organization in many ways. Teachers feel in control because they know which students have entered the school campus and which are absent. Parents feel assured because they know their children have arrived at school.”

Jara Reig, director at La Salle Bonanova

Access card

Student all have an identification card, the director explains. “It gives access to predefined areas of the building. So our responsible authorities know which students are present and where. This information helps us in many ways – like managing the traffic of parents picking up their children by car.”

Lunchtime. An ocean of voices floods the silent corridors. Students of different ages head to the lunchroom to fill up on the various healthy food options on offer. Thanks to the access solutions, the kitchen crew can plan how many meals of which kind have to be served when. This not only streamlines the preparation but also reduces costs.

“Now, the students all get the food they want at the right time,” says Jara Reig . He adds: “With this system, we can ensure safety and control. It greatly helps with the development of the school, which benefits the children.”