Located in bustling Amsterdam, the Royal Concertgebouw (Royal Concert Hall) is renowned for having some of the best acoustics in the world. It’s counted among the most important concert venues globally, offering a wide range of high-level programming that attracts 700,000 visitors annually. They enjoy unique experiences in over 900 activities and events.
The Royal Concert Hall has been a pillar of cultural excellence since its grand opening on April 11, 1888. Designed by celebrated Dutch architect Dolf van Gendt, it was originally situated outside Amsterdam’s city walls. It has become an integral part of the city’s landscape a century later. A major renovation led to the addition of a huge basement and a striking glass annexe.
Behind its historic architecture and cultural value, the Royal Concert Hall is a contemporary organisation that provides a daily stage for international talent. A dedicated and highly professional team manages events, facilities, logistics, and communication. Ensuring maximum security remains a top priority, with innovative advancements in access control at the forefront.
Laurien van Straalen, Coordinator of Building Management, Facilities, and Technology, is in charge of these efforts; she shares the recent developments implemented in collaboration with Salto. Joining her is Ricardo Frazao of FBO B.V. in Amsterdam, a valued Salto Business Partner.
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If you start with the mechanical key plan, as we’ve always done, it gets incredibly complicated. Online access control management operates differently and requires a different way of thinking. Using an electronic key plan as a starting point makes setting up access control groups and zones much simpler. We strategically reviewed every door so that we could develop a robust, comprehensive smart access solution.
Laurien began her career at the Royal Concert Hall In 2018 with a thesis undertaken during her studies in facility management. One area that caught her attention was security and access control. As Laurien explains, the building had always utilised porters and mechanical keys, but staff couldn’t monitor the facility’s exterior without doing a physical walk-around. Moreover, although all doors were kept officially closed during the day, their status could only be verified via physical checks. “This led to a desire for more control through implementing smart electronic locks."
Ricardo says the key consideration in such situations is ‘why.’ In this case, it was defining the ‘why’ behind the need to secure the building’s exterior effectively. “Once we understood the issues, we could offer tailored solutions and provide the right advice.”
Implementing installation in phases ensured a manageable working process for all parties. The next step involved mapping the entire building, focusing on all doors and their associated applications. The outer shell had to be developed further to prepare for this optimisation. Achieving this in the best way possible requires abandoning traditional methods and adopting a different approach.
As a result of our collaboration, the Royal Concertgebouw now has 329 Salto electronic locks, including wall readers, cylinders, escutcheons, and padlocks. Initially installed in 2017 as an offline solution, this infrastructure laid the foundation for future expansion to meet current demands – making it easier to transition to an online system.
Firstly, we identified 15 zones and 50 user groups encompassing departments such as facilities, ICT, hospitality, marketing, and technical services. Additionally, we highlighted key areas such as lifts, server rooms, and the central power room, which are the vital organs of the building’s technical operations. These areas previously were less secure but are now fully integrated into the online solution, ensuring robust access control.
"Think about it: an orchestra can easily comprise 100 to 150 musicians,” Laurien elaborates. “Then you have our staff, suppliers, visitors, and external collaborators. With at least two concerts or events daily, maintaining oversight would be challenging without an online management system like the one we now have installed."
The team created a specific network for Salto’s solution housed in its own patch cabinet. This ensures the online management system’s continuous operation, even in case of malfunction in other technical components. Ricardo explains, “This solution has significantly enhanced the concert hall's overall security and reduced the number of physical checks needed at external doors."
Functionalities like Graphical Mapping extend the benefits of Salto’s solution. With Salto Space, porters can monitor which doors are open or closed, from any place and at any time. Doing this directly within the Salto smart access ecosystem adds significant value, providing real-time insight into the building’s exterior from a single location.
They are currently experimenting with tags in the form of phone smart stickers and bracelets. This innovation is particularly advantageous for Royal Concertgebouw staff, who often have their hands full, and improves daily access to doors and lifts.
The facilities and technical services team is constantly developing new developments that add value to staff and guests alike. Currently, their focus is on smart buildings and energy-efficient software, seeking ways to optimise lighting and climate systems, bookings, and access control overall.
Seamless integration is the ideal goal. When a booking is made online for a particular venue at a specific time, relevant musicians will be granted access automatically to the associated rooms. This automation extends to climate control and lighting, enhancing space management in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. Laurien says, “This approach allows our in-house team to focus more on musicians and visitors, while practical processes take place online as much as possible."
- Enhanced management and access control, combining security, accessibility, and contactless identification technology for staff, visitors, and artists.
- Capability to manage and control access permissions and specify entry times and designated areas. Easily withdraw or lock digital keys in case of loss or theft.
- Ability to create and customise specific permissions tailored to different zones or user profiles.
- Integration of the smart key as a secure device for managing site access control.
- Online management with groups and zones at every level.
- Real-time access control for the exterior of the property.
- Simplified key assignment using Salto smart tags, bracelets, and phone stickers.
- Centralised access control knowledge and management online.
- Offer controlled access for different types of users.
- Optimised safety and security at every entrance and exit.
- Future-proof solution with unlimited scaling possibilities.
Located in bustling Amsterdam, the Royal Concertgebouw (Royal Concert Hall) is renowned for having some of the best acoustics in the world. It’s counted among the most important concert venues globally, offering a wide range of high-level programming that attracts 700,000 visitors annually.
