entry IH23
ESSAY
True Elegance
Please discuss the client’s expectations. The client wanted a very high-performance audio system, yet also required an elegant interior finish. The residence and grounds resembles the scale and interior finish of a European estate. The latest automation opportunities were requested without exceeding a large, but not unrealistic, systems budget. Briefly describe the overall scope of the system. During the course of construction, the Savant control system was selected due to its well-integrated use of iOS devices. As the system design evolved, many Apple products became central to the installation. The client has always been an Apple computer user and because of his awareness, using Apple-related features became an important design objective. All TVs in the home are installed with Apple TV, utilizing a large video and audio library on the residence network. There are 24 zones of audio distribution, with Savant-facilitated iTunes being the primary source, accessed via many iPads, both mobile and wall mounted. The client required the latest 240 MHz LED TVs, which were utilized everywhere and were integrated with Blu-ray DVD players, HD cable TV, and Apple TV. Architectural speakers were specified to be trimless, but highquality 8” styles with very good sound quality. The workout room is a large, fully equipped space that rivals a commercial fitness club. This same space was designed to be an audiophile room as well because the client spends a lot of time every day in this room. Room acoustics were planned and acoustical materials added to ensure maximum performance in the challenging exercise equipment–laden space. Another challenge was to build an elegant home theater in a fairly tight area. This space was modified and expanded under floor access to create the theater room. Fine millwork, fabrics, and leathers were used to ensure the home theater was on par with the rest of the architecture, even though it was carved out of a subfloor area.
systems including HVAC, so he can make changes to temperature in remote areas of the home to make occupancy of that room comfortable upon arrival. (This is also available off site when desired.) Spa control is used to prepare the spa temperature prior to using the water feature. We also provided pump controls to activate the waterside that stretches from the upper pool and spa down the slide to the lower pool. Motorized shades are provided in several rooms; these are regularly controlled from remote locations by the iPads. iPads are also used to view images from the various megapixel cameras, which provide both instant and recorded high-quality images adequate for facial identification. There is also a strategically placed camera that captures the license plates of autos as they enter and leave the property. The audio in the home is used extensively, and the clients utilize the Savant iTunes access on the iPads to select from the thousands of titles kept on the system’s music drives. What makes this system worthy of recognition? The resulting electronic systems in this home were well planned aesthetically. The client required high-quality sound, and both an extremely elegant home and high-performance systems were achieved while still providing user-friendly controls via the iPads. The theater is elegant; the workout room audio system is stellar and unusual. The clients’ request for systems control to be integrated into a form factor so that he could utilize iPads for overall operation of the home’s systems was achieved. Lighting, motorized shades, HVAC, spa and pool control, extensive audio control, standardized control of all TVs and video sources, and viewing the megapixel cameras are accomplished with iOS devices.
What challenges, if any, affected your ability to deliver the project as specified? Much time was spent coordinating finish carpentry details to integrate both TVs and audio components. The client did not elect to hide all the TVs but instead chose to integrate size and location carefully so the TVs would be viewable and appear part of the architecture. Where speakers are visible in most spaces around the estate, they are appropriate and not intrusive. The client wanted a rich finish in the theater, thus the speakers were concealed behind acoustic material and a projection perforated screen. The projector was enclosed in a conditioned enclosure in the crawl space behind the theater so it was out of sight. Discuss your accomplishments with integration and automation of this project. As described earlier, the home electronic systems are primarily controlled by iPad Wi-Fi tablets with Savant automation application. The home also has nearly 40 Lutron SeeTouch keypads; some are custom programmed to operate the Savant audio system. This was engineered so basic audio functions were controlled by devices that match the appearance of the Lutron lighting keypads. The client required mobile control of the various
C ED IA
Another technical achievement was to provide excellent exterior sound over the entire two-acre rear landscape. To do this, many speakers were utilized in the landscape, in ceilings of the numerous patio spaces, at the pool, and at the tennis court. In all, more than 40 speakers and several subterranean subwoofers were used. Amplifiers and parametric equalizers were used to maximize performance.
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