Futurehome is a cutting-edge new collection of houses that has environmental sustainability at its core. These unrivalled three and four bedroom townhouses at the Elephant Park development in southeast London are built to the demanding Passivhaus standard – the fastest-growing low-energy construction scheme in the world.
To help ensure their sustainability long after completion, they have been fitted with Comelit home automation systems, which allow residents to control and monitor their energy usage, as well as lights, heating and comfort cooling. Simplehome is a new way for residents to manage their living environment and is easy to install and use.
Picture caption: Each Futurehome is fitted with Comelit’s Simplehome home automation system to monitor and control heating, lighting and energy.
Each system is controlled by an Icona Manager, which has a 4.3-inch 16:9 touchscreen colour display and features sensitive touch technology, LED backlighting and swipe functionality. The Icona Manager – which can be semi flush-mounted, wall-mounted or desk-based – is capable of programming, monitoring and controlling home automation devices, while additional services and devices can also be added to the system.
Heat and light
Comelit One switches have been incorporated into the system to control the lighting scenarios in the living areas, and there is a serial bridge to enable residents to control and programme their system via a smartphone or tablet. The heating is controlled in zones and the Icona Manager also monitors energy consumption.
“We are delighted to have been involved in this prestigious scheme, which puts sustainability at the heart of its design and construction,” said Jeremy King, National Specification Manager at Comelit. “Comelit home automation is playing its part in controlling and monitoring energy use in the Futurehomes at Elephant Park.”
The homes are part of a £2 billion regeneration programme of Elephant & Castle by Lendlease and Southwark council.
“We will re-establish Elephant & Castle as the most exciting new neighbourhood in London – not only through what we're building, but also by how we're doing it,” says Lendlease. “Our approach to urban regeneration in Elephant & Castle is already setting new standards in sustainability that will not only will make the Elephant a great place to live, but will also play a vital role in tackling issues such as air pollution and carbon emissions.”
The Passivhaus design envisages a dramatic reduction in space heating and cooling. This is achieved primarily by taking a ‘fabric first’ approach to design, as well as a high level of insulation and airtightness, plus the use of whole–house mechanical ventilation. This approach enables heating energy savings of up to 90% compared with conventional building stock and over 75% compared with average new-builds.
