Sierra Alta was designed to be the ultimate entertainment smart home fit for a Hollywood star. Located directly behind the world-famous Sunset Strip, the 17,000-square-foot modern dream home is much more than just a pretty face.
“I designed the house to have a certain mystery, with surprises,” said Cyrus Harouni, designer of the home.
The Control4 system integrator, Joe Mancuso, of Chameleon Technologies, and Harouni wanted to create an entire smart-home experience that touched every foot of the house. “Cyrus had an amazing vision for this,” Mancuso said. “It was great to work with him. He didn’t skimp on things. He wanted to do it right.”
Control4 is present from the moment you step up to the front door station, which can transmit an image of a guest at the entryway on all the Control4 touch screens in the house, complete with intercom communication.
Other luxury automated features include the 20-foot tall wine rack that can rotate, move up floors and hold hundreds of bottles, so the owner doesn’t have to leave the master bedroom to get a glass of perfectly chilled wine.
Sierra Alta’s open design lets in an abundance of natural light but it’s the interior lighting that really shines. Control4 Wireless Keypad Dimmers and Wireless Configurable Keypads replace traditional light switches. Their sophisticated design and capabilities perfectly reflect the synchrony and uniquely intuitive nature of the home. Configurable keypads allow the homeowner to completely customise their lighting inside of Sierra Alta. For example, a “Goodnight” button on the keypad can be configured so that all of the lights in the home are shut off except for a bedside reading lamp. Additionally, centralized lighting is featured throughout the home and is an elegant alternative to bulky banks of six gangs used to connect the lighting.
“It’s a much more elegant solution because instead of having a bank of six gangs, we can just use one Control4 keypad, and from there we can do six or seven things,” added Mancuso.
As you move from room to room through the 17,000 square feet of space, you are accompanied by the Control4-automated 24 zones of audio that comprise 60 Sonance speakers. The massive system is also invisible with all 60 speakers completely camouflaged into the ceiling throughout the home; however, the audio experience doesn’t end within the walls of the home. When you step outside you are greeted with sound from the outdoor Sonance SLS system with speakers tucked into the bushes and an underground subwoofer. The entire audio system ensures that the volume level continues seamlessly and without limitations across the property thanks to the automation built-in from Control4.
The basement is home to a recreation area that is fully outfitted in state-of-the-art technology. Its crown jewel is the screening room, complete with Tannoy monitors and dual Sonance subwoofers. The Control4 keypad helps set the scene for a professional movie watching experience. Pressing the “Movie” button fades the music and pulls back the Lutron shades that adorn the screen as the SIM2 projector comes on. The DMX LED lighting dims, completing the setting.
Although the home is clearly fit for a celebrity with the $25 million price tag, the hidden smart home automation helps it transform into more of a family environment or a bachelorette/bachelor pad. While the basement was designed for entertainment and the second floor can be family-friendly, the first floor of the house can be transformed to fit the needs of either dynamic. With the push of a button, the doors can open or close for privacy. All of the rooms on the first floor of the house also open up to the backyard with motorised doors.
Motorised walls can also be found in the basement and show a four-car garage, where the owner can show off their ample car collection in separate sections. Motorised glass walls move to block off three parts of the garage to either hide or showcase whichever model the owner chooses.
Behind the walls of this expansive home are over five miles of wiring, bringing seamless integration with every living system inside of it. “All of the video and audio sources live in these custom racks. You have a fully automated Control4 system, a full Lilin 16-camera system which has two megapixel picture and a 150-foot IR throw, alarm system, phone system, pool controller, and all our distributed audio amps, all in this single space. We have our own dedicated Blue-Bolt Panamax UPS and power conditioners supplying power to our racks. This is a true home-run house,” said Manusco. Control 4’s HC-800 controller is the foundation behind the system’s automation. The HC-800 ensures that every control inside of Sierra Alta receives instantaneous and intuitive automation.
Sierra Alta is a smart home through and through, tied together with Control4’s intelligent home automation managing the many devices installed throughout the massive home. The fully automated Control4 system that Chameleon Technologies created helps the owner easily control the alarm system, phones, pool, audio system, wine rack, lighting and much more, from one place. Sierra Alta offers a glimpse into what the future of smart homes could look like: a true self-managing home offering its owner ease of use and complete customisation.
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