A modern manor house in Lapworth

A home automation project that just kept growing and growing

Cyberhomes got involved with this modern manor house project at architect’s design stage, well before ground had been broken; so we could work with the client throughout the build to maximise the potential of installed integrated technology.

“We could not fault Cyberhomes. When they came up with their 3D design of what our cinema room could be we never expected them to deliver the finished product exactly like the concept. We never expected the cinema room to be as good as it is and its become the show piece of the entire property, an exceptional thanks to Cyberhomes.”

Key elements

The homeowner had no previous experience of smart home systems, but a demonstration of the Savant Pro control and automation capabilities convinced him it would be perfect for his new luxury home. To ensure all this technology would be seamlessly woven into the fabric of the building, we introduced the client to interior designer Camilla Leech who we worked closely with throughout the design and installation phases.

Let there be light

This large house required over 200 lighting circuits which meant a Lutron Homeworks QS solution was the only consideration. Its reliability and scalability ensured it was up to the task. With 44 on-wall keypads as well as integration to the Savant Pro system—lighting scenes can be recalled instantly for any room. And that included control of natural daylight too with 84 windows having motorised blinds or curtains. Faradite movement sensors act as triggers for security and convenience.

Efficient heating

Zoned heating control is essential for a home of this size to avoid wasting energy on rooms that aren’t currently in use. Over 50 underfloor heating zones were installed, all independently controllable and programmable to meet the needs of the family. Cyberhomes managed the third-party heating engineers to design the optimum climate control solution.

Audio-visual heaven

This project takes the concept of multi-room audio to the extreme. There are 28 zones of audio that can stream multiple sources of music to all the rooms’ discrete in-ceiling speakers as well as a huge outdoor Sonance speaker array consisting of 24 satellite speakers and five subwoofers.

Video content too can also be streamed around the home to 21 zones feeding 17 Samsung TVs, plus waterproof mirror TVs in the master en-suite and pool area; not forgetting the dedicated cinema room. To keep TVs out of sight when not in use some rooms incorporated a ‘rolling art’ picture lift which disguises the TV screens as artwork when not being watched. In the master bedroom a TV lift moves the TV out of sight as it is switched off.

To distribute content to all these screens a Just Add Power AV over IP 24-port matrix was used allowing any screen to view 4K content from sources such as Apple TV and three Sky Q boxes.

Award-winning Basement Cinema Room

Designed for acoustic perfection and to be visually stunning before the projector even powers up…

Built to rival and exceed the finest cinema experience, the clients wish list included the biggest cinematic screen and the best audio optimised for the six family members seating positions.

Starting with an empty shell, Cyberhomes designed this award-winning cinema room to combine quality immersive sound, the finest video available and that extra Cyberhomes magic. The result is a comfortable and relaxing environment with striking interior design—in total contrast
to the grey stretched fabric rooms often specified.

Interior design

We proposed several design concepts with the client choosing a rich, futuristic look and feel to the room.

It was important that acoustic treatments were integrated which addressed first order reflections and room mode issues to ensure optimum audio performance.

Whilst there are curves and angles at every turn, the use of three-dimensional acoustic panels and bespoke visual features built to ensure the room remains balanced and symmetrical.

Computer modelling of the design allowed us to accurately predict its acoustic performance in order to determine the optimal speaker, screen and seating positions; complying with the design and and SMPTE.

Numerous LED lighting circuits enhance the structures emphasising the depth in the walls and ceiling through careful consideration of light and shadows.

Fabrics, colours, textures and upholstery—all working in harmony to create an exciting environment which doesn’t detract from the movie experience once the lights go down.

Ultimate visuals

A Sony 4K laser projector produces a vibrant and detailed image onto the 2.40:1 3.5 m wide projection screen, which has motorised side masking to change the aspect ratio of the screen according to the content being viewed.

A Kaleidescape 4K movie server provides fast and easy access to the homeowner’s library of Ultra HD movies without the compression compromises associated with streaming services. As with all our luxury cinema projects, the projector was calibrated to ISF standard to
ensure accurate colour reproduction for each video source.

Immersive audio

Dolby Atmos® is now the de facto standard for most premium home cinema homes and for this installation Cyberhomes specified a 7.1.4 speaker array. This layout ensures no compromise in audio whichever seating position you choose. Bi-polar surround speakers ensure
a wide dispersion sound across the back of the room.

Atmos decoding is handled by an Anthem processor, and ARC room correction fine tunes the finished room acoustics to perfection. Triad speakers ensure reference level performance from the Anthem MCA series of amplification.

Four in-wall Triad sub-woofers ensure plenty of bass thump, but for that truly earth shattering feel to big action movies we also installed D-Box motion actuators to the seating. You really do become part of the action.

Easy Control

Cyberhomes were installing a Savant Pro control and automation system for the rest of the house, so it was the natural choice to extend this to provide easy control of the cinema room. Bespoke programming allows simple lighting scene changes, automatic screen aspect ratio changes and safe shut down of the projector to cool it sufficiently after use.

With Lutron lighting control throughout the home, a Lutron wallplate by the cinema door allows quick and easy startup and shut down of the cinema.

An eye on security

Clearly a property of this size needs to be secure. We oversaw the install of a Texcom intruder and fire alarm system which we integrated into Savant Pro along with 22 Hikvision CCTV cameras that the homeowner can view on his smartphone wherever he is in the world. Sensors at the perimeter of the grounds trigger an ‘intruder alert’ announcement when motion is detected. The homeowner can select where this announcement is heard, externally, internally or everywhere. Savant video intercoms are located at front and rear gates.

Under control

With so many systems installed, having a centralised control system that was powerful, responsive and reliable was essential. Savant Pro allowed all the technology to be integrated into a simple and easy-to-use interface. There are eight Savant touch screens around the home as well as the app running on each of the family’s personal smartphones and tablet devices. The homeowner is able to create their own scenes such as ‘Goodnight’ and ‘Holiday’ which put the lighting, heating, AV and security throughout the home into the desired state with a single command.

A managed network of 16 Ruckus Wi-Fi access points ensures access to the system from every corner of the property.

Equipment racks

Originally all the equipment was to be housed in the designated plant room, but when that became full of heating equipment an alternative needed to be found. Cyberhomes took the opportunity to convert the huge garage space into not only a rack area but a complete party zone. The equipment racks were made a feature and inset into the walls, and an additional TV and sound system added. Of course there was still space to celebrate the homeowner’s luxury car collection. A clean power supply safeguards the processor and power amplifiers allowing them to deliver maximum dynamic performance day-in day-out.