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From Concrete Vision to Connected Community 

Abeja District & ICT

 

In the heart of Vaughan, Ontario, a new vision for urban living was taking shape. Abeja District, a massive residential development by Cortel Group, wasn’t just about building towers; it was about creating a vertical village. With three high-rise buildings, a shared podium, and over 800 suites destined to house 2,000 residents, the project was ambitious. The goal was a vibrant, intelligent community where living spaces, workspaces, and retail blended seamlessly. But for this vision to become a reality, its security and access control had to be just as forward-thinking.

That’s where Toronto-based integrator The Automated Group (TAG) stepped in. They faced a monumental challenge: design a unified security system to manage complex access needs across countless entry points, amenities, and elevators. The system needed to be powerful enough for a dense, multi-tower environment, yet simple enough for hundreds of residents and staff to use effortlessly every day. It had to provide a frictionless experience that made residents feel both welcome and secure. To deliver on this promise, TAG turned to a trusted partner they knew could help them succeed: ICT.

Project Highlights

  • Centralized access management for three towers
  • Real-time visibility for concierge staff
  • Integrated elevator and common area control
  • Simple, user-friendly software for staff
  • Reliable hardware proven over decades
location pin icon
Ontario, Canada

Location

Multifamily
Multifamily Residential

Industry

Apartment Suites
800+

Suites

The Automated Group
The Automated Group

Integrator

It's all on one platform... the integration is smooth and the software is very easy to use. We get a lot of positive feedback from the customers.

 - David Marchione, Chief Implementation Officer, The Automated Group

It's all on one platform... the integration is smooth and the software is very easy to use. We get a lot of positive feedback from the customers.

 - David Marchione, Chief Implementation Officer, The Automated Group

The Story

For Cortel Group’s vision of a connected community to succeed, the security and access control had to be as forward-thinking as the development itself. Abeja District is a massive undertaking, with three towers of roughly 30 stories each, a shared podium level, a total of over 800 suites, and more than 2,000 residents. Managing secure and convenient access for everyone was a challenge.

The Automated Group needed to deliver a system that matched the project’s smart-building goals. This meant centralizing control, integrating with other building operations, and giving the concierge team a clear, real-time view of activity across the entire property. Most importantly, it had to provide a frictionless experience for the hundreds of residents and staff moving through the buildings daily.

To bring Abeja District's vision to life, The Automated Group turned to a familiar partner: ICT. They designed a scalable, unified security platform built around Protege GX to manage the development's complex needs.

A Unified Platform for a Vertical Village

For a development as ambitious as Abeja District, a collection of disconnected systems was never an option. The vision was a single, cohesive community, and the technology needed to reflect that. TAG’s challenge was to find a solution that could bring every aspect of security and access under one umbrella without overwhelming the building staff.

This is where the partnership with ICT truly shone. TAG designed a scalable security infrastructure built around Protege GX, creating a central nervous system for the entire property. This unified platform gives Abeja's management team a single, intuitive interface to see everything in real time. From one screen, the concierge can monitor doors, review access events, and respond to alarms across all three towers. This centralization eliminates the complexity of juggling multiple systems, making daily operations remarkably simple and efficient. It empowers the staff to provide a higher level of service to residents, secure in the knowledge that they have complete control and visibility.

Seamless Movement, Secure Living

In a multi-tower residence, managing the flow of people is crucial. It’s about more than just security; it’s about creating a seamless living experience. At Abeja District, this meant implementing sophisticated elevator and common area controls that felt effortless for residents but offered robust security for management.

TAG utilized a combination of ICT’s proven hardware to achieve this. "The output modules are used for the elevator control, and the input modules monitor common area doors," explains David Marchione. This integration means that when residents present their credentials, the system doesn’t just unlock a door—it can also call an elevator and grant access only to their specific floor. This tailored access enhances security by preventing unauthorized access to residential floors while providing a layer of convenience.

For the concierge team, this integration is a game-changer. "Everything reports back to the GX software, so the concierge can see exactly what doors are opening and closing," adds Marchione. This real-time feedback loop allows staff to manage the property proactively, turning a complex web of entry points into a manageable, responsive environment.

A Partnership Forged in Problem-Solving

Every large-scale project presents unexpected hurdles, and Abeja District was no exception. What set this project apart was the confidence TAG had in facing those challenges, thanks to their long-standing partnership with ICT. They knew that when a unique problem arose, they had a partner who would work with them to find a solution.

"In our history of dealing with ICT, we've always had successful outcomes when it comes to trying to solve for unique scenarios," says Michael D'Angelo, Chief Revenue Officer at TAG. This ‘can-do’ spirit is at the heart of the partnership. Instead of seeing roadblocks, the teams saw opportunities to innovate. This collaborative approach ensures that even the most complex requirements can be met, transforming potential project delays into showcases of problem-solving. For an integrator like TAG, having a partner who is willing to get in the trenches with them is invaluable.

Find out more about ICT

If you’d like to know more about how these features could benefit your business, or would like information on ICT's unified solution, contact us today and we will put you in touch with an ICT professional in your area.

The Outcome

The result at Abeja District is a unified, reliable, and user-friendly system that has streamlined access management for residents and building staff. The partnership between TAG and ICT delivered a smart, efficient, and future-ready security infrastructure that supports Cortel Group's goal of creating a safe and connected environment.

The positive outcome reinforces the deep-seated trust TAG has in ICT products—a trust built over decades of successful projects. "ICT has been reliable from the start," D'Angelo adds. "We’ve got buildings we installed 20–25 years ago that still run on the same hardware with very few issues." This proven reliability gives TAG the confidence to take on ambitious projects, knowing their solution will stand the test of time and help them secure their own success.

The feedback from the end-user—the building management—has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly regarding the system's ease of use. "It's all on one platform," Marchione says. "The integration is smooth, and the software is very easy to use. We get a lot of positive feedback from the customers." This user-friendly experience ensures that the system is not just powerful, but practical for daily operations.

ICT has been reliable from the start, we’ve got buildings we installed 20–25 years ago that still run on the same hardware with very few issues.

 - Michael D’Angelo, Chief Revenue Officer, The Automated Group

ICT has been reliable from the start, we’ve got buildings we installed 20–25 years ago that still run on the same hardware with very few issues.

 - Michael D’Angelo, Chief Revenue Officer, The Automated Group

TORONTO, CANADA

The Automated Group

The Automated Group (TAG) is a Toronto-based smart-building integrator with over 40 years of experience designing, installing and servicing systems for multi-residential, hospitality, healthcare and commercial properties. Guardtek Systems, a division of TAG, exclusively on full-service security integration and monitoring, specializing in CCTV, access control and door hardware solutions, leveraging TAG’s broader infrastructure for monitoring, automation and managed services.

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