Security for unique cultural treasures

Singapore’s National Heritage Board (NHB) oversees several museums and other facilities housing unique cultural treasures – jewelry, textiles, paintings, and artifacts – that tell this multicultural island nation’s story. Bosch, which was sub-contracted, equipped four important facilities managed by the NHB with a new security system: the National Museum of Singapore, which is the country’s oldest; the Peranakan Museum, which holds one of the finest and most comprehensive public collections of Peranakan objects; the Heritage Conservation Center, where paper, objects, paintings, and textiles are stored and conserved; and the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall. “We won the client’s confidence in an early planning stage by presenting highly detailed proposals geared to the unique requirements of the individual buildings,” recalls Bosch project manager Toh Hong Lee.

Bosch developed and implemented solutions for access control, face recognition, intrusion protection, and video surveillance, which were deployed where required. The networks are interlinked and the connected security system can be flexibly expanded at any time. It is intuitive to operate, which facilitates the work of security personnel. In addition to installing security systems such as intrusion alarm systems and motion sensors that pinpoint the location of the intrusion, Bosch also needed to meet certain special requirements, including training the cameras to identify and provide alerts about any unauthorised movements. Areas with stricter security requirements are now protected by access control systems with individually assigned access codes. For certain facilities in the Heritage Conservation Center, integrated facial recognition systems even allow authorized individuals to enter contactlessly. In this way, the National Heritage Board in Singapore has successfully worked with Bosch to safeguard irreplaceable cultural treasures.