Smart home

A smart home is one where the building’s systems are connected to each other and to the people living there. Lights, blinds, heating and cooling, door locks, cameras and appliances can be controlled from a phone app, a wall panel or by voice. Systems can also run on their own using sensors and scenes, lowering the heating when nobody is in or switching on dim corridor lights at night.

Planning a smart home

A smart home can look like an add-on, but it works best when it is considered during design. Wired or wireless, space for panels and network equipment, and ceiling and wall details for motorised blinds and concealed lighting should be worked out together with the electrical drawings. Switch and panel positions need to match the furniture layout. To stay usable, the system needs simple scenes and physical switches that always work. Routing every task through an app can make daily life harder, not easier.

Smart homes in visualization

The systems themselves are mostly invisible in a render, but lighting scenes are very much a visual subject. Images of the same living room in day, evening and cinema mode show a client exactly what the system offers. For the interior side of the topic, see smart home systems for modern interiors.