YOU 52 St. Gallen

31.10.2019 St. Gallen Apartment buildings

The Smartphone. The Key to Smart Living.

General building data

Address: Unterstrasse 52/ 9000 St. Gallen
Completion: 10/2019
Constructor/Owner: Alto Real Estate AG
operator: Varioserv AG

Architect: Nüesch + Partner Architekten AG
Partners involved: KOCH Group AG

YOU 52

A former industrial building in close proximity to the historic town centre has seen a complete transformation into 54 brand-new apartments that leave nothing to be desired in terms of Smart Living. Originally designed to meet the needs of students, they have turned out to have a much broader appeal. Tenants may opt to have their own place or may flat share; if needed the rental place may even be furnished or be for a short tenancy period only. In keeping with the motto “modern living space”, access to all rooms is granted through your mobile phone.

The customer’s requirement for dormakaba

Access control system in keeping with Smart Living
Efficient key management
No more reordering of lost keys or lock cylinder replacements
Authorising or revoking access in real time

dormakaba’s solution

Smart Living not only stands for modern living arrangements supported digitally, but the goal is also to make everyday life easier for tenant and landlord alike. It was therefore of great importance for the property management to come up with a more efficient and simplified key management concept.

Either lost keys have to be reordered or the lock cylinders have to be replaced. Keeping track of it all requires a lot of administrative effort. If there is a tenant standing in front of a locked door without a key, the landlord has a problem that is difficult and time-consuming to solve remotely.

To make such problems a thing of the past, Varioserv AG has chosen the access management system “exos” from dormakaba, thereby opting to install digital cylinders for its doors throughout. Tenants can now choose to either use a digital key on their smartphone or to use an actual key fob to open the door to their flat.

“exos” grants access permissions in real time. Should a tenant or a handyman find themselves in front of a locked door, the problem can be remedied in no time with just a few clicks. What’s more, configuring who gets access where is really easy, too! In YOU52, tenants naturally only have access to their own apartments and basement areas, while the common rooms, bicycle storage room and the laundry room are accessible to all.

Letterboxes are also fully integrated in the system and may be operated by either smartphone or key fob. Recipients get their parcels conveniently, since parcel boxes have been integrated into the postal delivery service and the system now runs autonomously.

What for many still seems rather futuristic, in YOU52 it’s part of everyday living. The concept is tried-and-tested and will soon be deployed in other properties, too.