Architects and interior designers are considering health and wellness in the design of our workplaces and our homes as they seek to positively impact our physical and mental health and encourage holistic living. Design strategies can involve simply encouraging natural light and ventilation or choosing interior design options that complement how a space will be used. However, smart technology can also make a significant contribution, helping to generate conditions for optimum wellness and comfort.
SMART INTEGRATION
Smart home integrators can collaborate with the design team on a project to create easy-to-use, unobtrusive systems that offer a whole host of wellness and comfort benefits. Nowhere is this more the case than in the stunning Fieldfare House, a five-bedroom contemporary family home nestled in the Northamptonshire countryside. Surrounded by grazing fields and woodland, this new-build property was designed from the start to embrace its beautiful surroundings, while prioritising occupant comfort and wellbeing. Technology from Snap One brand Control4 is helping to achieve just that.
“Our brief was a light-filled, modern multi-generational design and we are making massive use of glazing to connect with the outside and bring the outside in,” says Ross Jones, who owns the property and has been fully engaged in the design and installation process. “We also wanted to be able to be outside more and we wanted to encourage the kids to be outside more; we’re always talking about connecting with the woods and the soundscape.”
While indoor/outdoor living brings multiple benefits, with natural light and air known to boost vitamin D levels, improve productivity, regulate body clocks, and even boost serotonin levels, it also creates challenges in terms of solar gain and brightness levels.
The right technology can solve these issues, however. In the case of Fieldfare House, Control4’s Vibrant Linear Lighting has been used by integration company Studio Electronica to provide accent lighting that enhances a space without harshness, while Daylight Agent allows occupants to make automatic adjustments based on the natural light coming into the home to complement their circadian rhythms.
AUTOMATIC BLINDS
The lighting control is also interfaced with automated blinds, recessed into the ceiling, to ensure occupants can maintain comfort levels throughout, all at the touch of a button. For example, it may be that blinds are programmed to come down during the height of the day in summer to reduce solar gain, whereas in winter they stay up to maximise daylight.
In this way, Studio Electronica reduces the level of visual noise in the property, removing the need for multiple switches and cords. The use of daylight simulating lighting is also delivering more brightness in the middle of the day and warmer light in the mornings and evenings, all based around the astronomical clock. This offers huge benefits in terms of wellness, from encouraging productivity when occupants are working in their home offices, to gently reminding children that bedtime is approaching to encourage healthy sleep patterns.
Interfacing the lighting control with the blind control at Fieldfare House offers additional benefits in terms of security. “Being able to use the astronomical time clock to keep some sort of regular light, and then also using the Mockupancy occupancy simulation to be able to see when there’s no one home is a huge benefit. We’re using Control4 Daylight Agent to mimic the colours of sunlight throughout the day,” explains Tom Lehman, technical director at Studio Electronica.
SMART THINKING
As a multi-generational household, it’s perhaps no surprise that some members of the family were more wary of the addition of residential technology than others. But smart technology is helping all the occupants to live independently and safely.
Ross says of an older relative: “We can control the lighting and think about the lighting design to help her at night when she needs to get up. There’s also an intercom between the panels as well. So, we can do a video call from the main house and check in on her in an unobtrusive way.”
For all the family, being able to spend quality time together is key and a media room has been designed with this in mind. It is the perfect space to de-stress, relax and enjoy family time.
“We wanted the family room/snug for watching TV, but also include a motorised cinema screen with great audio. We wanted to make the usability of the cinema as simple as possible with, for example, a ‘one switch’ command when turning on the projector. We also have music throughout the house, which is also a powerful mood-enhancer and easy to control, so it can be personalised for different rooms and tastes at different times,” says Ross.
Tom adds: “Music is really important as a way to heighten serotonin levels and make you feel relaxed and reduce stress, so having it everywhere, why wouldn’t you? We put music at everyone’s fingertips. It’s really great for relaxation.”
A key concern with home technology for many consumers is what happens if it stops working. Occupants need to be able to turn on lights, let people in and close their blinds. Here, the rise of remote support and maintenance is a game-changer.
Tom concludes: “That’s where Control4 is leaps and bounds ahead of competitors, because we’ve got baked in secure remote access to the system through Snap One’s OvrC platform to make changes, carry out diagnostics, receive proactive alerts and fix issues quickly, sometimes before they become a problem. OvrC is the perfect choice for long-distance projects like Fieldfare.”
A new CPD course entitled ‘How an Automated Home Can Care for the Family and the Planet’ from Control4 is available for designers. It explores how smart home technology can improve health and wellness, but also promote a more sustainable home by giving homeowners better control over energy management and providing them with more opportunities to reduce operational carbon.
For more information and to book a place visit: Control4 | British Institute of Interior Design (biid.org.uk). More information on Snap One is available at www.snapone.com. Further details on Studio Electronica can be found at www.studioelectronica.co.uk. Lighting design at Fieldfare was by Lumison Lighting Design. More information at www.lumisonlighting.co.uk.
