Opening Hours & Access Control
Opening Hours
The operational hours of the building are 8am-6pm, Monday - Friday (except on closure days such as over Christmas, around Easter and some bank holidays) with the main doors unlocked 8:15am - 5:30pm. Those without card access to the building must leave by 6:15pm. Reception is staffed during open/unlocked hours.
Access Control
The building is largely a keyless building with door access being via electronic locks. The data management is largely automated and based on agreed general principles and rules as documented in the access control policy.
To access through a secure door simply hold your card in front of the security panel/door lock, wait for the light to go green, and then pull/push open the door.
The first time you use your card in the building, you will need to hold it against one of the larger square card readers with numeric keypad (e.g. the doors in to the building and off the entrance foyer) to allow it to be configured. This will take up to 30 seconds, but after this your card will be configured and locks will respond almost instantaneously.
Each time you scan your card on a keypad lock, the data on your card will be refreshed to allow you to access your office. Cards need updating every 1-2 days, so we recommend scanning your card as you enter the building every morning, rather than regularly tailgating your way through. If you find you cannot access your office, please return to a keypad lock and scan your card again, making sure to hold it there until the light goes green, before reporting the problem to @email.
On the reverse of the wired access control doors (the ones that also have a numeric keypad), you will find a green release button, which you press to exit (or, in the case of the wing doors, just wave your hand in front of the sensor). This is supplemented with emergency break glass - do not use the break glass unless it is a real emergency as it will set off alarms and compromise security.
If you lose your University card, you should report this immediately to @email and @email. Your card will be cancelled and a new one issued, for which there is a cost.
Office Mode
Office doors can be set to office mode (by people in individual offices only). This enables staff to leave their door on free open should they wish to keep it shut while working in the room but then allow others to easily enter without having to get up and open the door each time. For security and information privacy reasons, individuals are strongly discouraged from leaving an office door in office mode if they leave the office.
To set to office mode: hold down the internal handle and present card – the Salto lock will flash. When the flashing stops the door will remain on free open. Please note that you are reminded to consider the security risks of using Office Mode in a building which has comparatively open access.
To remove office mode: hold down internal handle and re-present your card. The Salto lock will flash red and you will hear the lock deploy. The room will now remain locked unless presented with an authorised card.
The system is set for all doors to lock at 19:00 each day to avoid doors being mistakenly left in office mode and therefore the office left insecure overnight.
Out of Hours PIN
Out of hours, members of the department can access the building using their university card together with a PIN number.
Visitors
Registered academic visitors to the department are typically allocated a desk and provisioned an access card (short term card from reception for visitors here up to 1 month, or a university card when here for longer) and hence operate in a similar manner to departmental members (i.e. they are departmental members for the duration of their stay).
Visitors coming for occasional meetings etc report to reception who will contact the person they are visiting to collect them from reception, or if the person is familiar with the building they may buzz them through the wing doors after which they are able to reach their destination.
For further information on visitor access see the access control policy.
Lost Cards, Card Renewal/Replacement
University cards have an expiry date.
Depending on the length of your course or employment contract this expiry date may cover your entire time in the department. However, if you do continue in the department beyond the expiry date of the card then about a month before your card is due to expire you will receive a reminder from the central university. At this point you need to request a new card via the appropriate channel - maths staff via the HR team (@email), maths visitors via the visitor coordinator, students via their college.
Provided a card is not lost/stolen, then any new/replacement card will typically have the same barcode number as the one it replaces. However, each card contains a chip and the ID of that chip is unique. The door access system pulls in data from the university card office and is hence aware of such new cards. Once your new card is then used on the locks in the new building that becomes your live card and the old card is no longer valid. As per the instructions that come with new cards you are then expected to destroy the old card to avoid any confusion or abuse.
If you lose your card then you need to report this quickly as it poses a risk to the department (e.g. via email to @email and @email ) and other places where it provides access. When you report the card lost a replacement card can then be ordered by HR (for which the card office will charge you about £15). In such a situation the new card will be given a new barcode number to flag it in the card office system as a replacement for a cancelled stolen card as a secondary measure to ensure the old card is known to be no longer valid.
Access Control Queries
Please direct any queries about the access control system to @email