CE Pro November 2021 - 20

BEST BEFORE & AFTER | GOLD
Systems Design
& Installation
Advanced Integrated
Controls
Bluffton, S.C.
Reaching Beyond the Surface
to Resolve Tricky Retrofit
ADORNED WITH BEAUTIFUL cabinetry and woodwork,
this seaside home necessitated seamless,
undetectable integration of technology. The installation of
everything - from a home theater system, to the speakers
and displays of a distributed AV system, to smart thermostats,
touchscreens, and motorized housings for shades - had to
blend in with the home's existing architecture and aesthetic.
Certain parts of the original woodwork couldn't be removed,
replaced, or redesigned. New additions needed to
complement existing fixtures and furnishings. Many features
would need to be completely hidden. Advanced Integrated
Controls rose to the challenge.
Before anything else was installed, Advanced Integrated
Controls laid a new network of high-speed cabling. It wasn't
easy. Much of the rewire took place in the crawlspace - the
only open avenue to reach all of the rooms, many of which had
been added to the original structure. Existing wire was rerouted,
structured wiring panels were relocated and a new AV closet
redesigned on the first floor. Advanced Integration Controls
tucked much of the cabling behind existing crown molding.
When the new portion of the house was added so were two
new HVAC systems. Unfortunately, that meant the owner had
to use several different interfaces to control the home's temperature
- highly inconvenient. One of Advanced Integration
Controls' first orders of business, therefore, was integrating
the new HVAC systems with the existing HVAC and unifying
their control via an Elan g! control system. This required ample
engineering to accomplish, but ultimately, it all came together
beautifully, as the owner need only refer to an Elan app or
touchscreen to manage every thermostat on premises.
Trenching into the ceiling to mount the housing for motorized
shades was out of the question due to structural and
20 | CE Pro November 2021
design constraints. Advanced Integrated Controls made the
most out of a surface-mount situation by adding custom brass
end caps to the housings of Lutron Palladiom shades. The
detail complements brass light fixtures, making the technology
seem more like a natural part of the home than a new
addition. Thankfully, the previous homeowners had controlled
their home with touchscreens, providing Advanced Integrated
Controls nice-size cavities for the new Elan touchscreens.
The touchscreens themselves are a big reason why this
home's looks understate how " smart " it is. Rather than clutter
the residence with AV components, banks of light switches,
and other tech, Advanced Control Technologies programmed
the Elan g! touchscreens to serve as the primary user interface.
The owners can interact with one device rather than
multiple devices, to control AV, thermostats, lights, shades,
surveillance cameras, and more.
The only technology that makes a significant visual impact
is the home theater and family room display. But even these,
and the accompanying speakers, have been thoughtfully selected
and installed to jibe with their surroundings. A 133-inch
Stewart Filmscreen projection screen fed by a Sony projector
takes center stage in a dedicated theater, a 75-inch 4K Sony
TV in the family room, and in the master suite a 65-inch Sony
4K TV hides beneath the floor, lifting into position on command
from an Elan remote. CE Pro
Systems & Equipment
Elan controls, speakers * Lutron lighting, shades * Sony,
SunBrite displays * Stewart Filmscreen screen * Nexus 21 lifts
* Parasound, Yamaha, Autonomic audio electronics * JL Audio,
SpeakerCraft subwoofers * KEF speakers * Middle Atlantic,
Omnimount racks * Panamax power
cepro.com
EDDIE TUCKER
http://www.cepro.com
CE Pro November 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro November 2021
