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Designing the future
High-tech interiors are fast becoming the norm in modern homes and hotels, from fully automated home entertainment to speakers that double as pieces of art.
A few years ago high-tech interiors, such as home automation systems seemed like a vision from a science fiction movie. Now, however, they are a reality and are fast becoming a must for homeowners and hoteliers who want to keep abreast of customer requirements.
The very nature of the Middle East construction boom lends itself to the implementation of such interiors and developers are also seeing the benefits of such technology as they construct more properties wired for intelligent home automation.
Today's smart home technologies not only control television and audio, they are also designed to bring convenience and ease to modern day living, connecting lights, temperature controls and security among other things. But it is also becoming ever clearer that building managements are starting to incorporate intelligent solutions for energy efficiency.
"The phenomenal growth and development of the real estate industry, the awareness that energy must be conserved for future generations, coupled with the high disposable income in the region creates a platform where smart home is becoming an essential part of everyday life," explains Leo Beuyukian, CEO, EON.
When it comes to commercial buildings, flexibility and cost productivity are particularly important and as new builds are more easily adapted to the needs of the user, envisaging the future of technology-led design is vital to save money and avoid needless restructuring later on.
Simple additions can drastically lower electricity costs, such as installing presence-detecting lighting, like the Argus Presence Detector by Merton, and sensor operated escalators.
But today's home automation systems integrate sensors whereby if a room is not being used the electrical appliances within that room are switched off, resulting in a reduction in utility bills.
Hotels are particularly keen to adapt to intelligent systems, as customers continually demand more from luxury hospitality. "The latest advances in the hi-tech hospitality sector are all about bringing the guest experience to a new level. This means not only making the guest more comfortable but impressing them with amenities and functions not found at home," says Rick Quirino, president, Inncom, creators of the guest room touchscreen control console.
Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi recruited the talents of Dubai-based Bond Communications for the Dhs100 million contract to integrate a multimedia system through all 390 of the hotel's rooms and suites.
AMX touch panels allow the guests fingertip control of everything from interactive TVs and in-room entertainment, to lighting, air conditioning, personal computers, internet access and room service orders.
Property developer Nakheel has pre-wired its homes on the Palm ready for the Opus' home automation system. "The system distributes and controls your CD collection, TV and movies. Also with the new touch screen you can control third party lighting, curtains and blinds and air conditioning systems," explains Steve Simpson, GCC operations manager, Opus Technologies.
The Opus 500 works by centralising home entertainment equipment and allows the user to enjoy different music and video in different areas simultaneously. And because the system operates on low voltage cabling within the construction of the property, it can also be used in bathrooms and outdoor locations.
There seems to be myriad of different smart home systems available on the market and choosing the most suitable one can be a tricky operation. Italian company Bticino markets itself differently from its competition by taking home automation systems that step further in terms of aesthetics.
Recently launched in the Middle East, the Axolute range focuses on the look of its digital interfaces, switches and sockets, with 41 different colour and material finishes, including leather, Corian, wood and even Carrara marble.
For interior designers, integrating sound and audio equipment into a commercial interior design can be a real challenge, as unsightly speakers, wires and boxes can spoil an otherwise elegant or minimalist design.
One wireless system proving popular in the Middle East is the Sonos Digital Music Centre, available in Dubai's EON and Archimedia showrooms. The system connects to any amplified audio device in any room and that device is instantly part of a wireless, multi-room digital music system.
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