A stunning residential development in Sunninghill, Berkshire is the first in the UK to feature a unique control and automation solution for luxury apartments.
Charters, the Grade II listed Art Deco mansion, and formerly a high-security research centre for De Beers, is one of the most advanced and luxurious developments in the UK, and perhaps even the world. Indeed, Smart home technology is developing in new and surprising ways. Once the preserve of gadget geeks and lovers of technology, home automation has moved on from offering the ‘early adopter’ a bewildering array of toys and features straight out of The Matrix to delivering solutions that are simple to operate, easy to understand and offer the perfect complement to a 21st Century lifestyle.
The original Charters, which was commissioned in 1936 by Mr Frank Parkinson, a leading industrialist of his time, and was described as the last great country house to have been built in England, has now been exquisitely restored by Sabre Developments and two further buildings have been built alongside it to create a spectacular collection of 34 two and three bedroom world-class apartments and penthouses.
Residents at Charters can also enjoy a private 24-hour concierge and lifestyle management service. The concierge is able to organise anything from dinner parties, restaurant reservations and travel arrangements to make life as stress-free as possible. However, it is the exclusive Charters spa that is the epitome of luxury – 7,000 sq ft of pure indulgence, complete with a state-of-the-art gym, 50 ft ozone treated swimming pool, sauna, Turkish baths, numerous treatment rooms, and direct access from some of the apartments.
Secure Technology
For most people, personal and domestic security is a huge issue, and an increasingly important factor for buyers choosing to move house or relocate. Charters benefits from a superior level of onsite security, including a discreet 24-hour, seven-day security and site management service that ensures peace of mind for residents, without disturbing the inherent sense of intimacy. Charters’ high-tech security installation includes an audio-visual entry system for residents to manage the arrival of their guests from their apartment via personal video phone units. The concierge is connected automatically to this audio-visual system so guests and unexpected visitors are never left unattended. In addition, residents have their own portable security cards to go in and out of the site. CCTV surveillance and a car number plate recognition system are also in place enhancing the site security.
Electronic Jeeves
All this luxury and attention to detail extends to the ultimate in personal service! If you own one of these properties, you can also benefit from a groundbreaking electronic concierge service that features Crestron technology. Installed by Smartcomm, the VertilincLive® system performs the tasks that a butler might - but in a fully automated way. Designed specifically for luxury home’s of this calibre, it integrates a resident’s administration, amenity and maintenance services through a stylish Crestron touchpanel.
This is the first installation of the system in the UK and Steven Worrell, MD at Smartcomm, believes it is the ideal way to harness the benefits of a home automation for a multi-dwelling application: “Home automation is not all about flat screen TVs and automatically opening garage doors – it’s much simpler than that. If you look beyond the media hype what you’re really buying into is lifestyle convenience – and at Charters that can be had in spades. The residents have a bewildering array of features at their fingertips and when you combine this with the superb concierge facilities on-site they have the world at their fingertips, almost literally.”
Smartcomm has designed the system to allow Charters residents to access a huge range of lifestyle features at the touch-of-a-button. For example, residents can reserve a table at a restaurant, order a takeaway, request a car from the valet or organise maintenance services to be carried out – talk about luxury living! In addition to this, residents can also use this technology to automatically reserve tennis courts, racquetball courts, spa sessions and book golf tee times, which can all be done remotely from their Crestron touchpanel.
Total Home Technology
Crestron Total Home Technology is central to the home automation experience at Charters: it streamlines and simplifies all the apartment technology to offer the ultimate lifestyle of comfort and convenience. Whether from an easy-to-use Crestron touchpanel a remote control or keypad, total control is at a resident’s fingertips.
Smartcomm has installed a CAT 5e and Fibre network infrastructure that supports each apartment’s telecoms, data and internet applications to ensure communication is up-to-date and futureproof. The home entertainment is well thought out and comprehensive: the drawing rooms are fitted with a home cinema system and feature a mirror plasma screen and a Bowers & Wilkins surround sound speaker system all controlled via a wireless Crestron TPMC-8X touch panel.
There is a choice of LCD televisions in the kitchen, master and second bedrooms, while waterproof Aquavision TVs feature in the master en-suite bathrooms. In some of the apartments decorated by Sabre Interiors, plasma screens have even been fitted in at the foot of the master bed and emerge out of nowhere at the simple touch of a button. Alongside this, HD Ready audio and video distribution systems allow residents to view, listen and control different sources such as Sky, DVD, music and radio in different rooms. The iLight Lighting Control System offers the ability to set the ambience and mood for all times of the day and night.
Crestron touch panels are in all the main rooms. Whether wireless or wall-mounted, these cutting-edge devices allow residents to control the lighting, curtains, heating and air conditioning, television, DVD, multi-room music, intercom and view of site wide security cameras at the touch-of-a-button – all from anywhere within the apartment. Smartcomm has linked the home automation system directly to the 24hour Concierge services for total piece of mind.
Home, smart home
In summary then, from its former role as a hotbed of technology-driven innovation throughout much of the 20th century, to its current incarnation as a collection of some of the smartest homes around, Charters exudes a general sense of dynamism and forward-thinking progress. Between the striking designs of its buildings and the ahead-of-the-curve technology found within, thanks to Smartcomm, it looks as though this stately home's proud tradition of signposting the shape of things to come is likely to continue for some time yet...
