Advanced home automation by AVD Australia - The Penthouse Apartment

Our client was aware of how visually exposed he was going to be living in this four bedroom apartment which was like a glass fishbowl in the heart of the city. In addition, due to its west-facing orientation he was concerned about the heat load the sun light was going to produce, particularly in summer.

To overcome the issues of the harsh westerly sun and lack of privacy, two external layers of motorised sun shades were attached to the entire outer floor to ceiling glass walls.

These consisted of a set of floor to ceiling vertical louvers and a set of ceiling height pivoting horizontal blades. Internally, floor heating and A/C provided more than adequate climate control comfort. Programmed into the automation control is clever logic coding combined with energy-efficiency criteria that reacts to the various sensor inputs and initiates all of the motorised devices in harmony. This ensured a near constant internal ambient temperature as per the desired set point temperature, reducing the need for air-conditioning.

With such a complex arrangement of motorised devices and other associated systems, the client now has a very intuitive home automation system that has exceeded all of his expectations and is very simple to operate. Considering that the vast majority of tasks happen without any input from the owner, this is truly an energy-efficient home automation system.

To achieve his desired result, the client engaged the services of AVD Australia to undertake the entire home automation system. AVD brought to the project 20 year's experience in advanced home automation, and immediately employed their tried and true philosophy of systems engineering to achieve the result within time and within budget.

Discrete in-ceiling speakers where used for the multi-room audio, a motorised dropper for the plasma screen in the bed room and also a 120 inch motorised front projection screen in the living area.

All equipment is electronically tucked away out of sight when not in use.

FREE Download - White Paper - "The Architect's Guide to Home Automation" available at www.avd.com.au.