Project Date
2008
Project Description
Whole house lighting control with audio and cinema system
The Old Rectory
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The Brief
When we first visited this former rectory it had remained virtually untouched for the last twenty years and was in need of a total refurbishment.
The purchasers had lots of vision and while bringing the property up to date they still wanted to maintain its original character. They were very concise in their requirements, whole house distribution of services, some distributed audio, and home cinema system. They had already commisioned one of our lighting designers and so were also interested in the concept of lighting control.
They wanted lots of functionality but in a package that was simple and understandable to use.
The Solutions
The first thing to do was to get services around the house. This consisted of a hard wired Gigabit ethernet service with a wireless access point in the rear area of the property. Telephone points were also installed throughout along with the distribution of TV including Sky.
For the audio a Living Control six room, six source audio system was installed complete with a hard drive music server. A combination of in-wall display pads and colour pads were used for the control. Each room was fitted with Bowers and Wilkins in-ceiling speakers. Externally a waterproof keypad was used and a pair of Bose environmetal speakers hidden within the flower beds.
For the cinema system we installed a Pioneer 60" plasma screen along with a 5.1 speaker system. Speakercraft Aim in-ceiling speakers were used along with a Bowers&Wilkins PV1 subwoofer. Electronics were courtesy of Arcam with a Philips TSU9600 used for control. The client wanted a very individual look for the system, so we worked hard with the cabinet makers and client to achieve this look.
In the day room a Pioneer 50" plasma screen was recessed above the fireplace, and two pairs of Bowers&Wilkins speakers installed within the ceiling. Again this room is also controlled via a Philips TSU9600 remote.
Both rooms have access to the various Sources such as Sky HD, DVD and also the Living Control music server.
An iLight lighting control system was installed throughout the key areas of the property, including the external perimeter lights. This provides an easy to use interface for what is an excellant lighting scheme. The keypads by the front door and adjacent to the master bed also have the ability to control the whole house.
Working initial with the client and architect at specification stage allowed us to realise the customers dreams and subsequantly working as part of the site team, ensured that the project ran smoothly, resulting in an excellant finish.