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How鈥檚 this for smart?

Persimmon Homes has developed five homes on a site in Irlam, greater Manchester, to explore a range of issues and technologies from sustainability to smart-home technology. The homes are: an eco-house, built using recyclable, renewable and natural elements; a techno house including smart-home technology; a modular house, built using a kit of components including Promonta gypsum blocks; a lifetime house designed to evolve to the changing needs of occupants; and an energy house, constructed using such energy-saving technology as Space4 timber frame.

David Broadbent, regional chairman with the housebuilder says: 鈥淲e are trialling things that are in the marketplace but not yet in the mainstream.鈥� The four-bedroom detached techno house features Centralock keyless central locking technology, and Adam smart-home technology to control lighting, energy, communications and security.

Three of the homes will go on sale later this year, but the techno and eco houses will be retained for ongoing research. In specifying and building the homes, the housebuilder has already gained useful knowledge. Broadbent says: 鈥淲e learned a lot about the supply chain. On carbon neutrality, we鈥檝e realised that it is going to take a lot of effort to achieve a cost-effective solution, but this has focused our attention on how to get there.鈥� The project has also helped the housebuilder to form partnerships with manufacturers and other organisations, notably WRAP, the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

Broadbent says the housebuilder has already identified benefits 鈥� and potential for wider use 鈥� in some products, notably underfloor heating, which was sourced across the houses from Qual-Plumb, DEVI and Osma Underfloor Heating. Basements could also be adopted where costs permit, and a micro-CHP boiler trialled well.

Persimmon Homes

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Promonta

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Space4

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Centralock

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Adam

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WRAP

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Qual-Plumb

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Devi

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Osma Underfloor Heating

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Virtual kitchens

Symphony Kitchens鈥� Virtual Solutions software is becoming increasingly popular with housebuilders. The package allows homebuyers to see a visual representation of their kitchen on a computer screen, and then select from the housebuilder's options on kitchen unit colour, door style, etc. Buyers can also see integrated appliances.

Symphony

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Audio everywhere

Crestron has expanded its Adanto multi-room audio distribution system with the Adanto Media System. The AMS adds surround sound processing and video for home theatre with whole-house audio distribution.

Crestron

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In case you get stuck in a lift

Four lifts in the Chelsea Tower apartment block in Dubai have been fitted with LCD displays from E-Motive Display. The full-colour displays, called EAVIS, provide information such as floor number, date and time, temperature and emergency messages, as well as television, internet, DVD and video playback.

E-Motive Display

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MI6 in control

A penthouse in the former MI6 building in London has been equipped with an AMX-based home control system, designed and installed by iLife Solutions. The installation integrates every element of control into a single system, managing entertainment systems, including home cinema, to control of lighting, heating and air-conditioning. The system also provides management of the secure door entry/CCTV system. The hub of the system is an AMX Netlinx NI4000 controller; operation is via three AMX wall-mounted touch screen panels and two AMX Modero wireless panels. There are also two eight-button keypads, sited in the apartment entrance and at the foot of the stairs.

AMX

AMX

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