Case studies

Integrated Lighting and AV in Finchley, London (6/4/2010)

By Morban Intelligent Living

The owner of this luxurious five-bedroom property in Finchley, North London wanted an easy-to-use lighting control system, distributed audio and HDTV throughout the property, a home cinema system, a home data network/telephony, and CCTV. He had an unusually clear concept of the overall outcomes and effects he wanted to achieve, and worked with us right from the design phase to develop these ideas.

The brief

The owner visualised a house where aspects such as lighting, blinds and home entertainment components were all integrated into a single system. This encompassed mood lighting, sensor-activated lighting in common hallway areas, automated blinds and integration with AV systems. Above all, the system had to be easy to use and rugged enough to withstand interaction with children.

The brief required lighting and AV to be integrated into one system.

The solution

Since the client had his own electrician, we provided a full set of installation schematics containing everything required to ensure that no cables were left out, and that back boxes were sited at exactly the correct position. The whole-house system used a Cat5e cable configuration, and cabling runs were also laid to enable the client to add to the system at a later date.

The system consisted of one of our most popular configurations:

Philips Dynalite lighting control featuring the stunning Dynalite Revolution 2 (DR2PE) wall panels in glass.
Audio Authority Avatrix HD distribution.
Flatline Acoustics in-ceiling speakers.
Kef Kube 2 sub woofer.
A Spectra 2 Media server with 2TB of RAID storage.

The Philips Dynalite Revolution 2 (DR2PE) backlit wall panel in glass.

CCTV provided by four day/night cameras channelled to a dedicated screen and as a channel on the video distribution system. The cameras are viewable on any TV in the house, and have a 160GB DVR backup facility.

The custom-built racking system is a 42U x 19” configuration, which houses patch panels, all AV distribution hardware and audio/video source devices.

The installation includes sophisticated lighting controls in all of the key areas of the building, including the entire ground floor, the master bedroom and en-suite. In total, the project incorporates 49 controlled lighting channels.

The installation includes sophisticated lighting controls in all of the key areas of the building.

Five Philips Dynalite controllers are used to supervise the system, two of which are leading-edge and three of which are multipurpose units. The leading-edge controllers manage both the custom-built chandeliers located in the downstairs reception area, and the dimmable circuits. The multipurpose controllers supervise the dimming fluorescents, cold cathode, LED and in-ground metal halide lighting circuits, and further provide control for the motorised venetian blinds incorporated into the large bi-fold doors from the house to the Terrace.

Colour-changing LEDs are used in various areas of the house, including the bathroom.

The Philips Dynalite DyNet peer-to-peer communications serial bus network provides the backbone into which the various systems are linked, and the system provides more than lighting control. Through wall panels and touchscreens, an array of devices is controlled. The AV for example, is activated via a named (etched) ‘Cinema’ or ‘Entertain’ wall panel button. Indeed the functionality of these buttons is derived from within the software that we have customised to provide interoperability between several systems so that, at the single touch of a button, touchscreen or remote key, the lights dim to their pre determined ‘low’ setting and the AV system springs to life, leaving the client to simply select the movie or music of their choice. Lux level sensors adjust the lighting circuits to ensure that the same ambience is always maintained whatever the available natural light levels.

The AV system was designed to deliver high-quality audio and analogue HD (1080i) video to all main living areas and bedrooms via a Cat5e cable network to local power amplifiers that are built into the wall panels. These in turn drive the high output Flatline Acoustics ceiling-based speaker pairs and the powerful external Flatline speakers on the Terrace.

The home cinema audio system uses the same discrete Flatline Acoustics in-ceiling audiophile-quality surround speakers supplemented by a powerful Kef Kube 2 sub-woofer, with the power and source devices residing in the central rack system. Control is through local wall panels and RTI programmed colour handheld remotes, and media selection is through a local on-screen TV GUI for movie selection from the stored movie and music library.

To areas such as the Terrace, audio selection is provided via a Logitech Squeezebox Controller and Squeezebox Duet hub. This also allows the client to access their personal PC-based iTunes library, and the vast array of music from Internet radio. Both Squeezebox and the Opus system are also accessible via an iTouch/iPhone.

The Logitech Squeezebox Controller and Duet network hub.

The AV systems in both the master bedroom and TV room have been provided with RTI universal remote control units, from which it is also possible to control the lighting to those areas.

The RTI controller at the bedside controls the TV, audio and lighting.

The home security is also integrated into the Philips Dynalite system, with 'welcome' and 'goodbye' functions controlling the lighting when entering or leaving the building. In the event of a security or fire alarm activation, pathway lighting is automatically activated. The networked design also allows for the system to be expanded at a later date in a loop outside the house to accommodate lighting requirements for a planned pool complex at the rear of the property.

Installation

The first fix cabling was delivered by the client's own electricians to our detailed design and schematics, and with our on-site support. This ensured that every cable was positioned exactly to specification, and this approach kept the labour costs down for the client. The second fix was provided by Morban engineers over a period driven by the client and their requirements. A standard install would normally take between two and three weeks, but in this case, the client had specific install dates for various system modules.

The two-part commissioning process provided all programming to the lighting levels and ‘mood’ scenarios along with remote device programming and touchscreen personalisation. The final second stage provided a revisit to the property some two months later to fine-tune the system and to gather the required wall panel control key cap identifications chosen by the client. The final key caps were etched and then fitted to replace the blank ones.

Experience from the project

In this business we are faced with continual development, so each project allows us to introduce new products and system refinements. Since this install, Philips Dynalite has introduced more products and more control options. Today, thanks to a neat OLED display panel on the new style Revolution wall panels, we can offer optional HVAC control along with options used regularly within our assisted living systems such as blind and curtain control, Velux control and other device integration. We also integrate the system with the security system providing occupancy simulation and entry/exit courtesy lighting. Nightlight walkway lighting also works well when linked to more advanced security systems. Our Pronto range of customised simple to use remote programming is very popular and is now our standard remote solution. We also offer a HomeNet data network now that provides a staggering 1.2GHz bandwidth that is far superior to Cat5e and becoming increasingly popular, especially as it provides superb quality HD over a single cable option.

The use of a client’s own electrical contractor for first fix often presents challenges, mostly around their lack of familiarity with processes and systems. As a result, we have introduced a national training and accreditation programme for qualified electricians. This provides our clients with a guaranteed knowledge level for their general electrical/intelligent home install before Morban delivers second fix and commissioning. Indeed, by introducing electricians from our own list of installers, clients often ask them to undertake the rest of the standard electrical work for that project. Sometimes a clients’ wish for a staged install means that the residential custom install can be varied in duration from weeks to years, so another key area for us to strengthen was that of project management, which we have done with the introduction of extra staff and custom-built management systems.

Client feedback

The property owner is particularly impressed by the use of sensor technology to activate lighting only when warranted: three universal sensors installed in the hallway areas provide automatic lighting when movement is detected and ambient light levels are low. This can be regarded as a safety feature, since if the children wake up during the night and walk around the house, the lights will come on automatically and safeguard against them tripping up and hurting themselves.

The client has offered to showcase the install we feel reflects his total satisfaction with the systems and the way we installed them. Our after sales support and yearly scheduled maintenance option has been particularly welcomed and it enables us to fine-tune any areas that require reprogramming, and to upgrade and make additions to a system that is designed to be expanded. Forward planning is everything!

Equipment list

Philips Dynalite Lighting Control.
Audio Authority Avatrix Analogue Audio/HD Distribution.
Spectra 2 Media Server.
RTI Programmable remotes.
Flatline in-ceiling and external speakers.
Kef Kube 2 sub woofer.
Logitech Squeezebox Controller and Duet hub.
Denon iPod dock.
Samsung TVs.

Morban Intelligent Living designs and installs high-tech home automation solutions that can 'join-up' lighting, security, AV, environmental, communications and media systems.

www.morban.co.uk