Project Summary
Over the crest of a hill, down a sweeping drive and through open parkland filled with pheasants, lies a newly built Georgian style family estate standing as proud as a wedding cake on the top table of the finest espousal ever attended. Flanked by exceptionally manicured lawns and filled with glossy golden hues, this large family estate is equipped with the state-of-the-art Crestron home automation systems.
The property consist of a master bedroom, his en-suite, her en-suite, morning room, four en-suite children bedrooms, four additional en-suite guest rooms, a grand dining room, beautifully lighten drawing room, lounge area, a huge kitchen and breakfast area, office, library, an antique cellar, bowling alley, dormitory, a huge games room, gym, treatment room, security room, gun room, staff quarters, Indian room, snug, 2 additional staff kitchens, cinema, stables, sun lounge area, two pools (indoor and out), pergola, tennis courts and a beautiful garden area including a large lake.
In February 2019 we won an award for "ultimate crestron home residential" for our Crestron integration work on this project.
- The stairwell atrium floods the marble floors with natural light while the grand Roman-esque pool were created by film set designers, yet offers incredible sounds and lighting experiences. The property also includes an atmospheric Dolby Atmos 200” screened cinema room, audio in tennis court, DJ stand, bowling alley, Jacuzzi, full spa, additional outdoor pool along a fully automated entertainment wing. Other features include:
- 460 zones of Crestron lighting,
- 181 Crestron C2n-CBF Keypads (all engraved)
- 32 zones of audio zones powered by Crestron Sonnex
- 140 discreet powerful speakers
- 4 outdoor audio zones featuring discreet yet powerful Crestron Air Speakers
- 4 Crestron powerful home automation processors
- 4 Crestron lighting processors
- Custom design and manufactured twin keypads controlling Crestron smart lighting system along with audio selection and zone control
- Music servers, playlists and streaming services available at a touch of a button with volume control and room off
- 200 inch, 11.3 Dolby Atmos THX Cinema
- Discreet Cinema in Masterbed
- Intelligent antique and bronze tree fountains - controlled based on occupancy and schedules
- Intelligent façade and exterior lighting - programmed to react to schedules, astronomic clocks, incoming and outgoing vehicle direction and occupancy
- Traditional ‘Bell Pull” door entry integrated into Crestron Automation and entire audio system throughout
- DJ Mode integrated as part of whole house audio
- Security Systems amalgamated into Crestron touch panels and video distribution
- Window treatment controlled through Crestron lighting keypads, touch panels, remotes and smart phone/tablet apps
- Audio available in every principle room and all en-suites
Project Details
The Rack Room
Three AV racks contain networking, video distribution and audio distribution for the entire property. Crestron Digital Media (DM) is used to distribute Sky and Apple TV to all 16 video locations in the property. Crestron Sonnex is used to distribution music from Airplay, Spotify and other services along with an Autonomics music server around the property. In-room keypads, were custom design to operate lighting, and audio control as twin keypads side-by-side. A number of touch panels, remotes as well as apps control all other aspects of the property including lighting, heating, blinds, window treatment and security.
Lighting
The client had used Lutron and iLight systems coupled with Bang and Olufsen audiovisual system in his two previous homes of slightly smaller proportion. Subsequently, for this, a much larger pre-fabricated new build, he had clear idea of what his brief and family (of six) requirements would be which needed to be implemented considering the challenges of a vast 43,000sqm internal space.
After numerous meetings and demonstration, the following requirements emerged in terms of lighting control:
- Scene based centralized lighting was required through the interior and exterior of the property with automation logic that turned on the exterior:
- Intelligent Façade lighting,
- Tree and pathway,
- Exterior halo light (in each window frame) only if the room is not occupied
- Drive way
- Antique front Fountain and their lights
- Two Orangery bronze tree fountains and their lights
- All other exterior lighting
- Energy efficiency and lighting design were deemed as two major consideration factors for both interior and exterior lights, due to the size and design of the property.
- In addition to all of the above, the client whom regularly entertains a number of guests at his residents, required an instant music operation whereby he is able to choose from predefined playlists, streaming services and radio services with a simple button press upon entry to every room. Volume control was also considered as an added benefit.
The entire lighting system was designed to comprises of:
- 460 lighting zones
- 181 Crestron custom keypads
- Matching custom sesigned, moulded and manufactured faceplates
- Custom lighting and audio services engraving
- 4 Lighting processors (DIN-AP3)
- 4 Fountain controls (2 dimmable Bronze Tree Fountains)
- 36 PIR’s
- Manual over-rides, light bulb replacement modes and contingencies are programmed in
- Custom back boxes to accommodate twin keypads
- 16 Custom lighting panels
The 16 Custom Lighting Panels built and prewired by Crestron panel builders. The client is very aesthetically oriented so the panels sizes where customised to provide a beautiful symmetry even thought they are placed in risers and plant rooms. Due to the sheer size of the property, each floor has it’s own dedicated lighting panels, easily interlinked with Cresnet, which provides faster response times and simpler fault resolution (in the unlikely event failure). Crestron DIN2 MC2 shades and blind controllers are also within the same enclosure.
Lightings and window treatments were programmed in Crestron D3 Pro Software.
Control Devices
The entire control of the property is managed through the following:
- 10” and 7” Crestron Touch Panels in principle rooms, All entrances and pool areas,
- Audio and lighting control through specially designed keypads by Clic2control manufactured by Crestron to provide ‘one touch’ control at every principle location/room,
- Twin Crestron keypads were used to provide side-by-side lighting and audio control. Backboxes and faceplates were custom designed and produced to provide this (see lighting keypads for more details).
Two Crestron C2NCBF keypads were designed to sit side-by-side to recall lighting scenes on one row and control Audio services by the other. Custom, back boxes and faceplates (matching finishes of the rest of the property) were designed and molded by clic2control and manufacturer in a precise manor by Crestron. The custom twin keypads were then engraved to provide the following:
- Five user definable lighting scenes (saved on Touch panels and app)
- Modify lighting scenes if required
- Instant replay of two user defined music playlists (from the Autonomics music server)
- Stream music through Airplay or Spotify connect and other music services using Crestron CEM-NSP1 streaming devices and Sonnex
- Play user defined radio stations
- “Room Off” at every lighting keypad
- Volume control in each room
- Control shades and blinds in principle rooms and areas
Shades and Blind Control
Decorative fabrics and shades from designers such as Colefax and Fowler are electronically controlled using Crestron shading controllers (din-2mc2) and are operated from rooms lighting keypads, Crestron handheld remote controls and Crestron Mobile Pro App on iPhone/iPad, conveniently whilst in bed or entering the room.
Cinema
200” (4.5 meter wide screen) 11.3 Dolby Atmos, THX 4K sound is provided in an amazing cinema. 11 THX speakers and 3 subwoofers are setup behind acoustic transparent screen and wall treatments to provides an immersive cinema experience that allows the viewer to experience movies just as the director intended them to. This cinema converts to an open bar for sport screening and entertaining at a touch of a button.
Bathroom TV
All principle bathrooms are equipped with TV’s using the Crestron DM video distribution system and control.
Outdoor Crestron Audio
Three outdoor zone form part of the multi-room audio available through every area of the property. This comprises of Crestron Air LS6T-BRZ-T, tucked away with hidden Crestron AIR IGS82T subwoofers buried in ground. These were implemented in high numbers to provide a great listening experience and volume levels perfectly adequate for a party in the large outdoor areas whilst still providing the ability for the guests to have areas to converse.
Traditional doorbell for a super high tech home
In keeping with this glorious Georgian glare and the client’s partiality to ‘Bell Pull’ doorbells whilst maintaining the functionality and practical requirement to be heard across this 43,000 square foot property (including an indoor pool and sound proofed cinema). Creston Sonnex was utilised to provide possibly the most intelligent, practical and luxurious door systems ever know. The contact from the pulled doorbell triggers an input into the Crestron Control system, resulting in the desired chime to be played in user definable rooms at specific times and volume levels. To add to the complexity of this, if media is already being played through the locations audio output, then the intelligent Crestron system is programmed to remember and pause the media, play the chime and then revert back at the previously set level. The same principle applies to the announcements, which is particularly useful in the cinema.
Party mode and DJ booth
As the client is a great host, and regularly throws gatherings for up to 500 guests on occasions, ‘Party Mode’ allows all available music sources to be played at the desired 32 separately controlled Audio zones with one page individual volume control on the Crestron touch panels. The versatile Sonnex system also accommodates inputs from the DJ point (on the balcony of the games room) to be played throughout the entire property including tennis court, indoor/outdoor pool, pergola and the garden, making this property a great party place.
User Benefits
User Benefits include:
- One touch keypad provides easy access for instant selection of four Audio sources (currently set as two user modifiable playlists, Airplay/Spotify Connect and radio) at every room as well as providing volume control and room off.
- Handheld remote controls provide easy channel hopping in rooms where video is available as well as convenient control over; lighting, shades and other AV elements.
- Exterior lighting controls triggers beautiful external/facade lighting and dramatic fountain features to greet visitors and family members whilst providing energy efficiency and eliminating wasted energy when the house is unoccupied.
- Availability of multiple audio and video sources, easily distributed throughout the entire property whilst eliminating the need for local sources in each room.
- Implementing a traditional “Pull Bell” door ring into a home automation system allows the client to preserve the traditional look of the property whilst not compromising on the benefits and convenience of modern technology.
- A state of the Art Cinema room brings joy to watching movies whilst the space doubles up as a bar for major sport events and entertaining.
- DJ and Party mode provides great music, indoors and out to any party.
- Window treatment control provides a luxury convenience.
- Mobile Apps provide a great secondary control solution through the property.
- A property of this nature would not be complete without mood lighting, which is provided both internally and externally through Crestron lighting.
- Integration of the heating and cooling provides an integrated solution and control over all aspects of this property from any point.
- Reliability and functionality of Crestron systems provides peace of mind along with unlimited lighting warranty as well as a great service.
- The grand nature of this house and all it’s elements have been so impressive that it was recently used as filming location during filming of a very popular TV program.
More Information on Home Automation and our award winning Crestron Integration services
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