Outstanding Use of Smart Technology

Designing a plan to seamlessly integrate technology throughout 8,400-plus square feet of living space—all while respecting the aesthetic of that space—is no simple feat. By utilizing a centralized control system, and keeping technology hidden from view, the team at Audio Video Design, led by VP of Engineering Bob Riddle, achieved this feat with “Salt Marsh Way,” a Chatham home they transformed into a fully automated “smart house.” The project earned the company a silver award in the Outstanding Use of Smart Technology category at the 2016 BRICC Awards.

“The client wanted full integration, with a mandate that it be easy to use as they age in their new home,” Riddle says. “Our tag line is ‘your digital home made easy,’ and we’re all about making complicated, sophisticated automation, integration and entertainment systems easy to use.”

In Salt Marsh Way, lighting, shading, HVAC, music, and video are managed via easy-to-use Crestron touch panels located throughout the home, as well as through an app on the homeowners’ personal Apple devices. Space proved to be a challenge—but not because there is an abundance of it. Since almost all areas within the house are finished out as living spaces, Riddle says the team needed to find ways to hide all technology from view. In one instance, the team utilized a corridor running the length of the lower level to conceal systems behind cherry double doors.

Making the home “smart for today and tomorrow” was also a priority for the homeowners, Riddle notes. “We needed to enable technology to be expanded upon as desires within the residence evolved,” he explains, “so there is plenty of pre-wiring in place to support any future needs.”

“It is our privilege to work in the most beautiful homes on the Cape,” Riddle adds. “The design gets the attention, but technology brings a home to life.”