Siemens Helps Design Miami Skyscraper’s Safety, Security, Automation

At the 2.7 million square foot building, which includes residential, commercial and retail space, Siemens smart building solutions allow for flexibility, future-proofing, and seamless transition from one part of the building to another.

Siemens is working with Florida East Coast Realty (FECR) to implement smart building solutions in Miami’s 85-story Panorama Tower. Technologies used throughout the residential, commercial, and retail space unify disparate fire and life safety systems, signal third-party elevator systems to restrict end user access by floor, and monitor and control more than 1,500 pieces of mechanical equipment throughout the complex. The solutions were installed with flexibility and future-proofing in mind but also to make it easier for occupants to go from one part of the building to another.

Panorama Tower
(Photo: Panorama Tower)

Panorama Tower is currently the tallest building on the East Coast, south of Manhattan. In addition to apartments, the building includes offices, restaurants, and shops, and connects to an adjacent 19-floor hotel. The entire space measures 2.7 million square feet, with occupants from both buildings able to access the Tower’s garage and pool.

“The Panorama Tower project was seven years in the making and, as such, building systems originally specified had to be modified at times, to meet updated codes and changing occupant needs,” said Dean Warhaft, Chief Development Officer for FECR. “Siemens kept pace with our requirements and even anticipated future needs.”

“Integration was key to helping bring our customer’s vision of a vertical city to life,” said Dave Hopping, President and CEO of Siemens Smart Infrastructure USA. “Our project team was able to figure out how to make several already-installed third-party systems in the Tower and neighboring hotel work cohesively with our smart building solutions. For tenants and visitors, this means being able to easily go from one part of the building to another while also being comfortable and safe.”

Siemens’ FireFinder® XLS system with global voice network acts as a comprehensive fire command center that controls fire alarm, smoke control, and containment technologies, all from a single platform. The fire panel also integrates a disparate carbon monoxide system from the garage.

Tower security is monitored by Siemens cameras and controlled by the SiPass® integrated access control system, which is compatible with third-party elevator control systems. The integrated systems allow occupants access to select floors, based on building credentials assigned to the key card and registered by the elevator system. For instance, hotel users can make use of the gym or pool, located on the residential Tower.

Finally, more than 1,500 pieces of mechanical equipment located throughout the Tower are monitored and controlled using Siemens’ building automation. And for added security and reliability, Siemens recommended that building automation and security each have their own dedicated high-speed fiber optic network, separate from the residential network.

“Siemens helped create the seamless tenant experience we wanted for all of our building occupants,” concluded FECR’s Warhaft.