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Case studies Engineered Environments - Winner Of CEDIA Electronic Lifestyles Award 2003 For Best Integrated Home: Over $2,000,000 (28/11/2003)
Essay The client's general requirement for the project: The technically-savvy owner of this 14,000 sq. ft. estate requested (1) complete integration of all electronics, (2) unbridled user control and programmability, (3) optimum flexibility, (4) thorough and accurate status feedback of all electronics in the house, and of course (5) reliability - an integrators dream - a challenge to behold. The client's request culminated in using 49 AMX touchpanels running off 5 Netlinx masters with 37,245 lines of code controlling 43 audio zones, 9 local systems, 13 video displays, 9 PTZ cameras with hard drive recorder, 18 Litetouch enclosures, 12 climate zones, 140 security zones and pool/spa control. Provide a general description of the clients (kids, ages, profession, etc.): This young, retired dot.com founder enjoys family life with his wife and three young children. As an avid baseball fan and car collector, his house caters to these interests with a richly detailed automobile museum in the basement and HDTV displays in virtually every room. What special considerations and roadblocks had to be overcome: This project was packed with special considerations, challenges and obstacles, not the least of which was delivering one the most expansive and complex systems integration projects ever conceived. In addition to the typical product integration issues, construction challenges common to retrofit/remodel projects, device placement dilemmas, and ventilation challenges, this project forced us to confront some interesting new challenges, particularly in the area of programming. a. The client requested user-definable lifestyle modes allowing them to easily set and reset profile settings including audio zones selected, audio source by zone, temperature setpoints, and lighting scenes for each of their 12 lifestyle programs. b. The client also demanded a complete set of AN sources (CD library, AM/FM, DSS, Tivo) for each of 6 users to avoid the possibility of conflict, with the added flexibility of user-definable AM/FM presets, DSS favorites and camera presets by user. c. The client requested high quality audio and video throughout the house. yet demanded that speakers and TVs be hidden or camou- flaged in order to preserve architectural beauty in this old world- style home. d. Lastly, we were required to work with the client's highly secure and extensive home network to enable access, both from inside the house and remotely, to the Netlinx masters. What did you, the designer/installer, do to accomplish the clients requirements and overcome the roadblocks: These issues and challenges were resolved as follows: a. After slightly more than four months of intense programming, our brilliant programmer surfaced with over 37,000 lines of code, a masterpiece that impressed even AMX's elite programmers and met every challenge posed by the client. Several months of troubleshooting and fine tuning led to possibly the most intricately-written yet reliable AMX code to date. b. (See above) c. Using C.A. T. in-wall/ceiling speakers with faux-painted speaker grills allowed us to deliver audiophile quality sound with minimal impact on aesthetics. Subwoofers were recessed in the floor with custom wooden grills matching the HVAC air vents. HDTV video displays were concealed using cabinetry and custom motorization. d. Working closely with the client's corporate IT department and AMX to resolve issues of JP addressing, firewalls and port mapping, we accomplished our need for access to the Netlinx masters while maintaining requisite security levels on the network. Describe the five most used functions of the system and how they benefit the client: The client and his family have embraced the system in its entirety. They create music play lists; use and modify lifestyle modes daily; regularly view movies loaded on the Escient Powerplay media server; play music throughout the house all day long; take advantage of multiple phone lines, intercom and paging; view cameras and arm the security system for their protection.
Time And Expertise Worksheet
Equipment List
This case study appears courtesy of CEDIA and Engineered Environments. Engineered Environments designs, engineers and installs systems that integrate home entertainment, communications, lighting control, climate control, security and surveillance for exclusive properties in the US and abroad, and is based in Oakland, CA, USA.
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