Embassy of Portugal
The Client
The Portuguese Embassy in London is the country’s diplomatic representation in the United Kingdom. The embassy sits in two independent buildings on Belgrave Square in Belgravia, and there is also a Portuguese consulate on Portland Place in Fitzrovia.
From 1747 to 1829, the embassy was at 74 South Audley Street in Mayfair. The embassy is currently a stucco terrace erected by George Basevi in 1825. The structure is part of a cluster of Grade I listed buildings at 1-11 Belgrave Square.
The Challenge
The project at hand was to provide connectivity throughout the whole of this large property, including dead spots and a Wi-Fi network for a property that has a 1940s style, 21,000 sq ft of living space, 20ft ceilings and a total property value of over £100m.
Working around the ambassador, as we could only work when he was not in the building, we had to be very cautious. We had to anticipate coming across valuable antiques that may have the potential of being damaged during such a project. So, we planned accordingly so if this happened, we would have a protocol in place.
We had to find a viable route throughout the large building and position the new server room location, which looked to be a challenge. This was due to the many rooms used for hosting functions and events such as banquets, parties etc. The new Wi-Fi network needed to be fast enough to support all these activities without any dropped connections or slowdowns due to congestion.
The Outcome
We were able to fully install the new Wi-Fi network successfully by considering all the above factors. The core of the network was boxed in with a metal galvanized conduit, and the branch off (customer/client facing such as corridors and rooms) we trunked in white plastic PVC trunking.
The project resulted in a full network upgrade, future-proofing so the network can be expanded in the future, 16 wireless access points installed from lower ground to the third floor, Wi-Fi coverage throughout the whole of the building and the ability to work anywhere in the residence.
Although VOIP telephones were not able to be installed throughout the building, we were able to create a strong set-up for the Embassy’s workers who can now work from any area of the building without having to worry about loss of signal.
