Northfield, Illinois
When it was time for architect Thomas Roszak to design his own home, he opted for minimalism in everything but technology. With features like flat-panel speakers and remotely controlled, built-in amenities - including motorized blinds, lighting, and indoor-outdoor thermostats - there’s nothing to distract from Roszak’s free-flowing floor plan. - Steven Castle
1. A Siedle security camera and intercom at the front door notifies the Roszak family when someone rings the doorbell. A full-screen image of the visitor interrupts whatever is playing on the family’s 63-inch Fujitsu plasma screen. If no one answers, the setup can patch the visitor through to voicemail.
2. A system of Crestron remotes lets the Roszaks control and automate the electronics throughout the home. For instance, if sensors detect that the temperature outside has dropped below freezing, a boiler heats the water in tubes under the driveway to melt snow and ice.
3. An Apple PowerBook stays wirelessly connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi, thanks to one of four AirPorts scattered about the steel, glass, and concrete home.
4. Flat-panel Jamo speakers in nine areas of the house deliver music from a central entertainment system.
5. Narrow steel beams, hidden from view in the photo, do more with less to hold up over half the weight of the loft upstairs: A soldering technique called full penetration makes the joints 150épercent stronger than a typical weld.
6. A closet hides a 660-watt Yamaha audio processor, multichannel SpeakerCraft amps, a DVD player, a 400-disc CD changer, an Escient music manager, two HDTV receivers, a video router, and a 32-bit Crestron processor.
7. Temperature and humidity sensors throughout the house control four heating and cooling systems, plus in-floor radiant heat. The sensors automatically adjust the interior climate in 11 zones, each serviced by its own thermostat.
8. Levolux motorized blinds for 8,500 square feet of glass ascend, descend, and pivot open and closed with a handheld remote.
Architect: Thomas Roszak
System Integrator: Baumeister Electronic Architects
Stone Ridge, New York
Tucked deep in the woods, the so-called e-House keeps its tech on the down low. The 2,200-square-foot project was started five years ago by a dozen engineers and scientists who envisioned a high-performance, Web site-controlled building. Their experiment is now a live-work space for the renowned architect Michael McDonough, who designed the interior with energy conservation in mind. As the home’s hub, the zero-emissions kitchen is part of the most teched-out room of all, containing geeky extras like a dishwasher that senses how dirty the pots and pans are and a fireplace with an exhaust that sucks out smoke but not warmth. - Sonia Zjawinski
1. Incandescent lighting by Howard Brandston, who brightened the Statue of Liberty as part of a 1986 face-lift, creates a shadow-free work area for McDonough’s wife, a chef. The recessed lighting and frosted-glass lamps ensure even light distribution.
2. Autoclaved aerated concrete is just as sturdy, provides 10 times the insulation, and weighs a fraction of the standard mix used for walls. It’s also completely recyclable and naturally termite and fire resistant.
3. A range hood engineered by Ray Stewart, whose other models are found in McDonald’s restaurants, traps all the steam, smoke, and grease that the Wolf gas burners and electric oven dish out.
4. The Asko D3531XL dishwasher uses sensors to detect how much grime is on whatever’s inside, then adjusts water level and temperature accordingly. It also cools the contents after drying, to avoid steaming-hot cutlery.
5. Hydronic radiant technology circulates water through tubing embedded in a thin layer of concrete, which is sandwiched between wood panels and topped with bamboo flooring. In winter, a superefficient propane-fired boiler heats the water and the house. In summer, a 15,000-gallon underground geothermal reservoir cools the water and the house.
Architect: Michael McDonough
London
This ultramodern play-pad for homeowners Bruce Denny and Tim Cohen is fully wired, from the bed frames to the bathroom mirrors. All the electronics in the 2,600-square-foot flat are networked and accessible from video monitors and handheld remotes. You can even stay in sync with Big Ben - a rooftop cam can pipe footage of the clock to any display in the house. - S.C.
1. A 30-inch Samsung LCD emerges from the bed’s footboard on a motorized lift and is connected to a dedicated 180-Gbyte Windows Media PC for accessing music and videos.
2. An 8.4-inch AMX Modero touchscreen can access the Web and be used to control lighting, entertainment, heating, and ventilation throughout the house.
3. The view into the bath can be blocked with an SSG Priva-Lite window: Press a button and electrical impulses "cloud" a liquid-crystal layer between two sheets of glass. Electrical wiring embedded in the mirror heats the glass just enough to eliminate fogging.
4. From the 58-gallon tub, bathers can use the remote-controlled rooftop cam to pan London’s skyline and watch the real-time footage on a 30-inch LCD.
5. The wall-mounted toilet by Alessi has special hinges that keep the seat and lid from slamming down.
Architect: Thorp Design
Installer: Conference Communications
New York
Fit for a superhero, Joe Quesada’s Manhattan flat accommodates technology without sacrificing clean design. As editor in chief of Marvel Comics, Quesada can watch Spider-Man save the Big Apple from anywhere in his 4,800-square-foot loft. Six rooms, including the bath, feature flat-panel screens, but the real highlight is a theater that opens into a music room. -éS.Z.
1. Six 9-foot partitions made of insulated, laminated glass close off the theater from adjacent rooms. An inch-thick space between the glass panes serves as soundproofing.
2. An 8-foot screen shows off crisp visuals from a JVC projector hidden in a closet. The setup allows for a big screen with 1,400 x 788 native resolution that doesn’t degrade the image. "Most home theaters are limited by the display system; this system is better than the source," says its designer, Mark Levinson.
3. The massive media center relies on a 250-Gbyte Apple G5 and 400 gigs of external storage. The system holds up to 200 movies or 165,000 songs.
4. The Crestron control lets movie watchers dim lights, close blackout curtains, and lower the screen at the touch of a button.
5. Six LCDs throughout the flat - including a 15-incher in the bath - can display video streamed from the entertainment system.
Architect: Resolution: 4 Architecture
Installer: Mark Levinson of Red Rose Music
Aspen, Colorado
This $35 million mountaintop home is part of Wildcat Ranch, a 6,926-acre plot developed by actor Michael Douglas back in the ’80s. The house has a 360-degree scenic view and looks down onto the Snowmass ski resort. The 14,400-square-foot residence is tech to the core: Its 6,000-square-foot basement is the command center, dedicated to geothermal and temperature control equipment, miles of wire, banks of monitors, and racks of servers. Visitors hardly notice this pad’s horsepower. Home-automation design gurus ESC worked closely with architect Bartholomew Voorsanger to plan the software and integrate every household function into an ultrareliable computer network. Total cost of technology: about $1 million. - Todd Jatras
1. The bath showcases custom stonework from fabricator Baci, an Italian factory that has fully automated processes, even for the cutting and polishing of granite and limestone. More than 275 tons of rock was used throughout the house.
2. Low-emission glass (known as Low-E) is coated with microscopic metal-oxide particles that filter out UV rays, which can fade artwork and furniture, while blocking heat and allowing in light.
3. A 42-inch NEC plasma screen ascends from a bed’s footboard. Any of the home’s eight LCDs can access the media center, which pulls data from nine XM Radio feeds, iTunes, movies, and satellite TV. Each panel has its own TiVo and DVD player.
4. Ceiling pin lights, individually remote controlled, cast just enough focused light so one person can read while the other sleeps.
5. An NEC 42-inch plasma screen is stored vertically inside a cabinet and is pushed out and swiveled into viewing position by a robotic arm.
6. Server racks line the basement, which is about the size of a tennis court. The system automatically stays in sync with the changing seasons and raises and lowers window shades to adjust the amount of natural light and passive heat allowed into rooms.
7. A 200-foot-long stone wall covered with moss improves air quality and needs misting only once every six months.
8. AMX Wi-Fi tablets control every function of the house and grounds, from media to lighting and temperature.
9. Sixty geothermal wells take advantage of Aspen’s year-round underground temp of 49 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit. In summer, the outdoor air can warm to 92 degrees; the temperature difference is used to cool a circulating water-based antifreeze and to power 70 tons of AC equipment via a heat exchanger. In winter, the system provides 95 percent of the home’s utility power.
10. Hidden security cams dot the landscape. The owner, who was once the target of a remote-controlled pipe bombing, safe-guards this home with a sophisticated security system.
Architect: Bartholomew Voorsanger
Installer: ESC
credit Joel Degrand
LIVING ROOM
credit Joel Degrand
1. A Siedle security camera and intercom at the front door notifies the Roszak family when someone rings the doorbell. A full-screen image of the visitor interrupts whatever is playing on the family’s 63-inch Fujitsu plasma screen. If no one answers, the setup can patch the visitor through to voicemail.
credit Joel Degrand
2. A system of Crestron remotes lets the Roszaks control and automate the electronics throughout the home. For instance, if sensors detect that the temperature outside has dropped below freezing, a boiler heats the water in tubes under the driveway to melt snow and ice.
credit Joel Degrand
6. A closet hides a 660-watt Yamaha audio processor, multichannel SpeakerCraft amps, a DVD player, a 400-disc CD changer, an Escient music manager, two HDTV receivers, a video router, and a 32-bit Crestron processor.
credit Richard Ballard
KITCHEN
credit Richard Ballard
4. The Asko D3531XL dishwasher uses sensors to detect how much grime is on whatever’s inside, then adjusts water level and temperature accordingly. It also cools the contents after drying, to avoid steaming-hot cutlery.
credit Richard Ballard
5. Hydronic radiant technology circulates water through tubing embedded in a thin layer of concrete, which is sandwiched between wood panels and topped with bamboo flooring. In winter, a superefficient propane-fired boiler heats the water and the house. In summer, a 15,000-gallon underground geothermal reservoir cools the water and the house.
credit Chris Gascoigne
1. A 30-inch Samsung LCD emerges from the bed’s footboard on a motorized lift and is connected to a dedicated 180-Gbyte Windows Media PC for accessing music and videos.
2. An 8.4-inch AMX Modero touchscreen can access the Web and be used to control lighting, entertainment, heating, and ventilation throughout the house.
credit Chris Gascoigne
3. The view into the bath can be blocked with an SSG Priva-Lite window: Press a button and electrical impulses "cloud" a liquid-crystal layer between two sheets of glass. Electrical wiring embedded in the mirror heats the glass just enough to eliminate fogging.
credit Chris Gascoigne
4. From the 58-gallon tub, bathers can use the remote-controlled rooftop cam to pan London’s skyline and watch the real-time footage on a 30-inch LCD.
credit Chris Gascoigne
5. The wall-mounted toilet by Alessi has special hinges that keep the seat and lid from slamming down.
credit Thomas Loof; Movie still: Columbia Pictures
1. Six 9-foot partitions made of insulated, laminated glass close off the theater from adjacent rooms. An inch-thick space between the glass panes serves as soundproofing. 2. An 8-foot screen shows off crisp visuals from a JVC projector hidden in a closet. The setup allows for a big screen with 1,400 x 788 native resolution that doesn’t degrade the image. "Most home theaters are limited by the display system; this system is better than the source," says its designer, Mark Levinson.
credit Thomas Loof
3. The massive media center relies on a 250-Gbyte Apple G5 and 400 gigs of external storage. The system holds up to 200 movies or 165,000 songs.
credit Thomas Loof
4. The Crestron control lets movie watchers dim lights, close blackout curtains, and lower the screen at the touch of a button.
credit Thomas Loof; Movie still: Columbia Pictures
5. Six LCDs throughout the flat - including a 15-incher in the bath - can display video streamed from the entertainment system.
credit Ross Kribbs & Michael Brands
FULL HOUSE
credit Ross Kribbs & Michael Brands
1. The bath showcases custom stonework from fabricator Baci, an Italian factory that has fully automated processes, even for the cutting and polishing of granite and limestone. More than 275 tons of rock was used throughout the house.
credit Ross Kribbs & Michael Brands
2. Low-emission glass (known as Low-E) is coated with microscopic metal-oxide particles that filter out UV rays, which can fade artwork and furniture, while blocking heat and allowing in light.
3. A 42-inch NEC plasma screen ascends from a bed’s footboard. Any of the home’s eight LCDs can access the media center, which pulls data from nine XM Radio feeds, iTunes, movies, and satellite TV. Each panel has its own TiVo and DVD player.
credit Ross Kribbs & Michael Brands
4. Ceiling pin lights, individually remote controlled, cast just enough focused light so one person can read while the other sleeps.
credit Ross Kribbs & Michael Brands
5. An NEC 42-inch plasma screen is stored vertically inside a cabinet and is pushed out and swiveled into viewing position by a robotic arm.
credit Ross Kribbs & Michael Brands
6. Server racks line the basement, which is about the size of a tennis court. The system automatically stays in sync with the changing seasons and raises and lowers window shades to adjust the amount of natural light and passive heat allowed into rooms.
credit Ross Kribbs & Michael Brands
7. A 200-foot-long stone wall covered with moss improves air quality and needs misting only once every six months.
credit Ross Kribbs & Michael Brands
8. AMX Wi-Fi tablets control every function of the house and grounds, from media to lighting and temperature.
credit Ross Kribbs & Michael Brands
9. Sixty geothermal wells take advantage of Aspen’s year-round underground temp of 49 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit. In summer, the outdoor air can warm to 92 degrees; the temperature difference is used to cool a circulating water-based antifreeze and to power 70 tons of AC equipment via a heat exchanger. In winter, the system provides 95 percent of the home’s utility power.
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