Casa Costa is a mixed-use condominium and commercial property located at the heart of the waterfront district in Boynton Beach, Fla. The community enjoys a diverse population of family residents, retirees and seasonal residents occupying 407 total units — 395 residential and 12 commercial. 

The property had an end-of-life legacy security system that was challenging to maintain at a reasonable expense. Because a majority of the community residents are not present at the property year round, access control credentials were not easy to update or distribute. Neither the existing security system nor the out-of-date HVAC systems integrated with the building management system (BMS), so managing the facility with the seasonal load and population by leveraging the access control system was not possible. 

“We knew there was a way to achieve enhanced security and safety, energy efficiency and overall convenience for building occupants, and needed a service provider with the necessary experience and background to guide us,” said Danilo Cajina, maintenance engineer, Castle Group. 

Alpha Security and Fire Alarm Services Inc., along with LenelS2 and parent company Carrier Global Corporation, presented a fully integrated solution to provide Casa Costa with the confidence to operate a safer, more efficient facility. The three-phase project addressed security, HVAC and building management. 

Alpha Security took on the first phase of the project, installing a LenelS2 NetBox access control system that utilized much of the existing panel hardware, causing minimal disruption to the community and residents as well as providing major cost savings. 

“For Casa Costa it was important that we capture all of the information in their current system and seamlessly bring it over to the new system — the NetBox solution made that possible,” said Brian Pinnock, president of Alpha Security. 

“None of the seasonal residents needed to be re-credentialed,” Cajina added. “Their access control keys and fobs just continued to work.” 

The access control system integrates with existing door and elevator readers as well as a secure garage parking management system. The facility is now also able to control access to shared spaces, including a gym and swimming pool on the fifth floor. Because shared spaces are now within the scope of the access control system, the facility is able to easily revoke access to communal areas if any resident self-reports as COVID-positive, helping to maintain a healthy facility. 

The final phase of the project included programming and commissioning the building management system, which allows building systems and data to be managed by the BACnet i-Vu building automation system controllers. The integrated system utilizes LenelS2 NetBox access control data, like building or room occupancy, for greater efficiency.

“We always attempt to operate a building as efficiently as possible without sacrificing occupant comfort,” said Matt Crawford, project manager, controls, Carrier. “The project at Casa Costa exemplifies that approach.”