Some Representative Major Projects
Mount Vernon
(Entire Complex plus Orientation Center and Education Center)
Mount Vernon, Virginia
After designing a security system for the entire campus of Mount Vernon we
designed the expansion of that system into the two new buildings . The project
involved exhibit case alarms, building alarms, access control systems, and CCTV
systems Work also included a re-design of the security control room.
Jamestown Yorktown Foundation exhibition buildings
Williamsburg, Virginia
On a fast track schedule prior to the 400th anniversary of the settling of
Jamestown, the Foundation undertook the construction of three buildings and
three separate exhibition areas under the design of four separate
architects/exhibit designers. We worked on all of the projects. Work involved
development of a master plan, a new security control center, and expansion of
the new alarm, access control and CCTV system into each of the three buildings.
As buildings were completed and exhibition designs were developed we worked
with the various exhibit designers on the alarms for exhibit cases in three major
exhibit areas including the permanent collection, the temporary exhibition area,
and the “World of 1607” galleries.
Houston Museum of Fine Arts
Houston, Texas
We have performed various projects for this client including security surveys for
main (Law) building, Bayou Bend historic site, downtown (Tenneco) exhibition
site, Rosine Conservation Center, Fannon Service Center, Administration
Building and the Rienze house museum. We designed the security system for
the new Beck Building and Fannon Building (the old building was demolished)
and we designed the security control room that will serve the entire site. We also
designed security systems for the Rosnie and Rienze sites, Bayou Bend, and
Tenneco. The Beck Building system was one of the largest and most complex
systems we have designed as it will eventually serve every building. We recently
prepared bid documents and a system design for the auditorium renovation and
the library renovation projects. These are out to bid. We are currently on hold in
the design of the security system upgrade for the main building, having prepared
a design that is in owner review. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is a
retainer client, having purchased a three year retainer under our pre-paid plan.
Therefore, they have unlimited phone consultation which they use extensively. All
projects for this client included project management. In July 2007 we were added
to the design team of the Bayou Bend Visitor. We are also working on an off site
collection storage building for the MFAH.
National World War II Museum
New Orleans
The National World War II Museum is a seven phase project to expand the
National D-Day Museum into the National world War II Museum. It is currently
under construction. It will include nine separate structures and a “parade ground”
plus macro exhibits, micro exhibits, a library and archive, an “Four Dimensional”
theater, historic USO Cabaret, and other facilities. Our work includes alarms,
access control systems and CCTV systems and will conclude with exhibit case
alarms when the interiors are fully designed.
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C.
Various projects including the security system design for the National Museum of
the American Indian Collection Resource Center and the programming phase for
the NMAI Museum on the Mall in Washington. Projects also included a security
survey at the Hirschhorn Museum Sculpture Garden, the historic buildings report
for the Arts and Industries Building on the Mall, the SERC Lab renovation
projects, the National Museum of Natural History renovation projects and other
projects over the past 20 years.
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
deYoung Museum
San Francisco, CA
We designed the alarm, access control and CCTV systems for the new deYoung
Museum in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. A Herzog and deMeuron projects,
this project had major challenges which were overcome.
Norton Simon Museum of Art
Pasadena, California
Several years ago I conducted a security survey at the Norton Simon Museum.
When they did their recent expansion, they did not use my services to prepare
bid documents, since they have a knowledgeable building manager on board
who wanted to do this himself. I reviewed his work and offered advice that did not
always agree with his opinions. During the project’s installation phase, problems
developed that would have been avoided had I been involved in a more
traditional way. Wayne and his superiors brought me in for consultation and I
assisted in the resolution of issues with their vendor. The museum subsequently
purchased a three year retainer under our pre-paid plan and I conducted the
acceptance testing of their new security system and prepared a punch list. This
has been a difficult and complex project in that I have had to serve as diplomat,
representing the Director of Security in resolving issues with their contractor,
without making anyone in the museum look like they had made a bad decision in
pursuing the security design project without professional design assistance. This
client has made extensive use of their free phone consultation over the past
several years. This client takes security very seriously and has an excellent
security program, among the best in the country.
Montpelier, Home of President James Madison
Orange, Virginia
Work was recently completed on the restoration of Montpelier, the home of one
of our most interesting Presidents. We worked closely with the architectural team
to design an alarm, access control and CCTV system that minimized damage to
historic fabric and facilitated the telling of the story of President Madison. Work
included a Visitor Center and gallery area with exhibits and public
accommodations.
Bancroft Doe Library, UC Berkeley
Seismic Upgrade Project
Berkeley, CA
This work involved a total renovation of this very large library building. The
facility houses the university’s rare book collection as well as special collections
such as the works and personal papers of Mark Twain. Our role involved
conducting an initial needs assessment, interfacing with the university Campus
Police Department, and determining a secure way of transmitting alarms from the
facility to the university’s central station in a manner immune from hacking.
The project also involved expanding the central station monitoring stations at
Campus Police, designing and specifying a Software House C-Cure 8000 point
monitoring and access control system, Intellex DVR based digital CCTV system,
and integrating both analog and network cameras into one system using power
over Ethernet technology and unshielded twisted pair cabling.
The system designed uses extensive proximity card access with carefully
engineered CCTV monitoring of Reading Room and other areas of the building.
Washington State Historical Museum
Tacoma, Washington
The project involved the restoration of a railroad station to serve as a history
museum. We designed the alarm, a complex access control system, and a CCTV
system.
The Heard Museum
Phoenix, AZ
Several years ago I conducted a security survey for this client. When they
doubled the size of their building but could not increase their security staff, they
called on me to design a complex security system on a limited budget for the new
facility. This has been among the most challenging projects I have ever done.
We have provided project management and during the final acceptance testing
procedure which is extensive and thorough, we detected an irregularity and
stopped the test. I questioned the contractor’s representatives on site and
suspected that they had manipulated the test to make it appear that the system
was performing perfectly when it was not properly programmed or installed. We
stopped the test and I called in the president of the alarm company that was
responsible, a major national firm. One of their sub-contractors had been
manipulating the test. It was my staff’s expertise that detected and uncovered
this problem which some might consider a fraud perpetuated against my client.
We are on a fixed fee but we have continued to work on an almost daily basis to
review the work of the contractor to make sure that they correct the problem. This
includes weekly conference calls, technical reviews, and project updates at no
cost to our client. This client can speak to the extent we will go to honor our fixed
fee agreements and to assure that projects we design are properly installed and
working before we sign off. Since this project we have done several others for
them including Heard North Annex, Heard West Annex, Heard Store Gallery
project, and the CCTV system upgrade project.
The Menil Collection
Houston, TX
The Menil Collection consists of one main landmark Renzo Piano designed
building, four other museum buildings, and eleven additional buildings used for
various purposes, all within a mile of each other. The museum used a first
generation computer based alarm and access control systems which is now
obsolete and outdated. Nearly every device and camera is concealed, and no
changes can be made to the building’s appearance due to its status as a Renzo
Piano building. Piano is one of the all time greatest architects. We were
commissioned to design a security system that would replace and upgrade the
existing system and to expand it to all buildings via an underground fiber optic
network we were to design. The project has been designed and went to bid. Two
bidders were within $65 of our estimate and one qualified bidder was
substantially lower. Work is now completed on that project. Since then we
prepared a master plan report for the long term upgrade of CCTV systems to full
digital.
The Jewish Museum of New York
New York, NY
I designed the security system for the Jewish Museum when it was renovated
and expanded some years ago. This included designing an access control and
CCTV system. This museum has purchased out Pre-Paid Plan for the past five
years and we have had an ongoing relationship with them. We have assisted
with the upgrade of their window glazing and blast resistance system, their CCTV
system from analog to digital, their exhibit alarm system, their access control
system, and other projects. When they had a theft, we were called and I
responded to advise them on how to proceed. Since they are a likely target of
terrorism, we have consulted many times on this subject.
Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum
Seattle, WA
I first did work with Tim Bonow when he was Assistant Director of Security at the
Seattle Art Museum. I then did a project with him when he was Director of
Security at the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA. I recently completed a
project with him at the Experience Music project/Sci Fi Museum in Seattle. His
museum director Josi Callen also worked with me when she was at the San Jose
Museum of Art. EMP/SciFi is a Frank Gehry building donated in full by Microsoft
co-founder Paul Allen at a cost of $325 million. The museum is now planning
major changes to its control room and CCTV system in an upgrade to digital. We
have completed the master plan and are awaiting owner response and direction.
Steve Keller also worked on the security system designs for Paul Allen’s private
residence.
Contemporary Art Center of Virginia
Virginia Beach, VA
When the Virginia CAC was designated by the city and the state as the host
venue for a Magna Carta exhibition as part of the 400th anniversary of the
founding of Jamestown, it was apparent that the museum was not ready for this
magnitude of special exhibition without immediate and drastic changes. We did
a study and recommended alarm, CCTV and control room upgrades and
upgraded staffing levels. We also recommended added training for guards.
Terrorism considerations also were a concern. When the exhibition approached
and it was apparent that the museum lacked the resources to properly secure the
exhibit, we waived our fees and donated all of our services in an effort to get the
work completed. We also donated the world’s most advanced high tech object
alarm system for use on five major exhibit cases and we sent technicians to
install them when objects were installed. We worked with police and local
agencies to make the facility ready for the exhibit, which was a subsequent
success for the museum.
Polly Rosenbaum Arizona State Archives
Phoenix, AZ
This project involved designing and specifying a state of the art point monitoring
and access control system and a digital CCTV system for this Capitol Hill based
depository. Special electronics were designed for exterior areas and parking lots
and interior systems provided close surveillance of reading room activity. This
project involved expanding the owner’s existing General Electric Infographics
access system, their existing DVR based CCTV system, and other special
systems. A security control room was also designed.
Yale University
Cultural Property Central Station
Yale University has seventeen major cultural properties in need of special alarm
and CCTV system monitoring. When cultural property system are monitored
from a common Campus Police central station they can be vulnerable by
something as simple as a policeman in trouble call which redirects all of the
resources of the department away from alarm monitoring and to street level
activity. The solution was to design an dedicated central station that serves only
cultural institutions. Entities included in this program are the Yale Center for
British Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, the Beineke Rare Book Library, and
other institutions.
This project involved an initial study which recommended establishing a
dedicated, highly secure central station staffed by a detail of campus police
especially trained on the geography and operations of all of the monitored
facilities. Further, the study involved studying the technology in use in all of the
properties and recommending a campus cultural property standard and
developing an action plan for converting the 17 entities to that standard.
Finally, the work involved designing a fully engineered central station for the
exclusive monitoring of cultural properties and defining procedures for staff
dispatchers to follow while working there. The Lenel point monitoring and access
control system, the Intellex DVR based CCTV system, and the Sensicast object
protection system were specified. All racks and equipment within the central
station were open source and standards compliant. Our work included fully
engineered drawings.
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
This project involved conducting a master plan study of the special collections
libraries at the Library of Congress. These included the Main Reading Room,
Manuscript Reading Room and stacks, LaFolette Reading Room; Science
Reading Room; Prints and Photographs Reading Room & Stacks; Serials and
Government Publications Reading Room; Law Library Reading Room and
stacks; Law Rare Books; Colonnade Reading Room and Offices. A report was
issued for Congress that resulted in funding of projects.
The Magna Carta
When the Magna Carta traveled to Virginia in celebration of the 400th anniversary
of the founding of Jamestown we were asked to design security for the exhibit
and its exhibit cases.
Disney Family Museum
Walt Disney Family Foundation
San Francisco, CA
This project involved designing a burglar alarm, access control and digital CCTV
system as well as an object protection system for the personal collections of the
Disney family members. The museum is located in an historic building within the
Presidio, San Francisco.
The Wilson Library
University of North Carolina
Wilson Library
Chapel Hill, NC
This project involved a feasibility study for upgrading the library’s alarm, access
control and CCTV system and expanding it.
National Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C.
We have performed various projects for the National Gallery including a master
plan survey, a master plan security system design, a master plan security control
room design, a manpower survey and a White Paper to Congress, with
successful funding request for $995,000, We also designed the security systems
for the National Sculpture Garden on the Mall, performed other smaller projects.
All projects for this client included project management.
We also designed exhibit case alarms for the Emancipation Proclamation,
Dunlop Broadside of the Declaration of independence, the first draft of the U.S.
Constitution, the Guttenberg Bible, the Gettysburg Address, and the Dead Sea
Scrolls. We’ve protected life works and papers of Mark Twain, the Salem Witch
Trial papers, and many other precious and rare cultural assets.
We’ve done projects in concert halls and performing arts centers as well. We
designed the alarm, access control and CCTV systems for the Miami-Dade
Performing Arts Center for Cesar Pelli Architects and did projects at the Lincoln
Center, New York, the Detroit Symphony Hall, Detroit, the Chicago Sympathy,
Chicago, Lincoln Center and other smaller facilities.
Outdoor sculpture garden projects included the Hirschhorn on the Mall in
Washington, the Natdional Sculpture Garden on the Mall in Washington, the
Nasher Center, Dallas, the Houston MFA Sculpture Garden, Houston,
Sunnylands Estate, Palm Springs, and the Aga Khan Museum Sculpture Garden
in Toronto.
High security storage facility work included the Manhattan, Southampton, and
Newark storage facilities for Crozier Fine Arts, the off site storage facilities for the
Art Institute of Chicago, two off site facilities for the Houston MFA, the
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian storage facility, Suitland,
Md., and others.
