We’ve had the BAFTAs and the Oscars, but there are still a few weeks to go until the winners of this year’s CEDIA Awards are announced. This year’s entries had a distinctly international flavour, with entries from custom installers in ten different countries, including Cyprus, South Africa and the UAE.
The Awards ceremony takes place at a gala dinner at One Mayfair, London on the evening of Friday 8 April. Tickets for the event, which includes a sit-down dinner and entertainment, are priced at £110 (+VAT) per person, or £995 for a table of ten.
Here’s a run-through of the shortlisted entries in the most full-on category – Best Integrated Home over £100,000.
- Federal Technologies, Private Villa
- Grahams Hi-Fi, ‘The Popes House’
- Henri, Villa des Amis
- I-Life Solutions, Brantingham – 20,000 sq ft family home
- SMC, Elysium House
For more on the CEDIA Awards, or to book your place at the gala dinner, click here.
Federal Technologies, Private Villa
The client mandated that this private luxury villa would represent…
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Federal Technologies, Private Villa
The client mandated that this private luxury villa would represent the very best of opulence. Evident throughout the brief was the desire to ensure all aspects were state-of-the-art and of premium quality. Technology had to cover every aspect of safety, communications, comfort and entertainment, throughout all areas of the villa, and the solutions had to provide premium quality and performance, and most importantly a wow factor. On the aesthetic side, this included the requirement that speakers were to be hidden, and AV equipment matched to furnishings. On the functional side, there was the requirement that control be simple and multilingual, and service staff should be able to operate it.
Grahams Hi-Fi, ‘The Pope’s House’
This new-build house – not actually owned by the Ponitiff, nor located in Vatican City – needed all the technology…
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Grahams Hi-Fi, ‘The Pope’s House’
This new-build house – not actually owned by the Ponitiff, nor located in Vatican City – needed all the technology that one would expect for a 21st century home: full entertainment throughout, control of lighting (interior and exterior) blinds, security, communications, data networking and anything else the integrator could throw into the mix! As the home is quite remote and isolated, a ‘panic room’ is included; how the technology services would work here, in the event that the owner had to use it, required careful consideration. As the project was a dream home, everything had to be of exceptional standard – and the budget needed to be below half the cost of a Bugatti Veyron car!
Henri, Villa des Amis
To be used mainly during weekends and holidays, this home in Houlgate, Basse Normandie was envisaged as the perfect place to spend quality time…
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Henri, Villa des Amis
To be used mainly during weekends and holidays, this home in Houlgate, Basse Normandie was envisaged as the perfect place to spend quality time with family and friends. When designing the custom installation, it was important to take into account the needs and activities of all the people using the house: as well as the owner, his wife and children, guests could also include close relatives and friends, while a housekeeper takes care of the property comes on a daily basis.
The owner wanted to have lots of fun stuff to do with his family and friends, and the ability to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies. At the same time, the home had to remain a beautiful and homogenous place, at all times of the day. A strong security system, to protect family and belongings, was also required.
I-Life Solutions – 20,000 sq ft family home
The client asked for “reliable, fully integrated, seamless control of all the AV, lighting and HVAC, with a view to future-proofing…
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I-Life Solutions – 20,000 sq ft family home
The client asked for “reliable, fully integrated, seamless control of all the AV, lighting and HVAC, with a view to future-proofing with regards to cabling, and with multiple touchpanels and screens throughout the property.” Working with consultants, architects, interior designers and client, the integrator came up with a vision to design and install this fully automated family home. Given the sheer scale of the project, the main aims were to use technology to help make the property feel homely and, most importantly, make control of all the equipment easy.
SMC, Elysium House
The five-floor, 2,160sqm house needed to be both a safe and secure family home and a party venue…
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SMC, Elysium House
The five-floor, 2,160sqm house needed to be both a safe and secure family home and a party venue at the highest level of entertaining. Music from multiple sources was to be played throughout the house and the garden – with the capability of considerable volume. Audio and video distribution to over 50 rooms was required – all of which were could play individually or be linked to create different party zones. High definition TVs with surround sound were required throughout, in addition to two dedicated cinema rooms with projection systems.
The house has two basement levels, with a swimming pool which required music both on and below the water. The other basement, which houses the client’s collection of high-performance cars, was to double up as a nightclub/party room.
The highest level of security system was required to protect the house and grounds and control access to certain rooms. In addition, all the systems in the house – audio, video, lighting, HVAC and security and access control – were to have integrated control via touchscreens.
For more on the CEDIA Awards, or to book your place at the gala dinner, click here.
