The installer MRFS Group has fitted Comelit’s ViP system, with energy monitoring/display (using SimpleHome), at the landmark Vantage Point building above Archway Underground Station in north London, pictured.
Vantage Point is a 17-storey former civil service office block acquired by Essential Living, a developer and operator of private rental homes. The project, Comelit says, shows its willingness to help installers by adapting its standard products to specific needs; and how those products can help end-users reduce carbon footprint.
Essential Living has converted Vantage Point into 118 private rental sector units. Work started in 2015 and the redevelopment has involved internal refurbishment, as well as cladding the existing façade to a design created by GRID Architects.
MRFS and Essential requested modifications to Comelit’s firmware for compliance with the Code for Sustainable Homes. Essentially, this means that the display on the monitor provides information and feedback for residents. This feature has now become standard on Comelit’s Icona Manager product.
Tenants will use a Comelit home automation monitor, Icona Manager, for video and audio communication with their visitors at ground level, plus two-way audio communication with the onsite/offsite concierge. The brief from the developer also required that the system should receive pulsed outputs from the electricity and water meters; crucial for sustainable living. Comelit’s home automation system, SimpleHome, is displaying energy/water usage and cost via the Icona Manager.
Francesca Boeris, Managing Director, Comelit UK, said: “Comelit will always go the extra mile. The fine-tuning here is similar to our recent work for a housing association in Northern Ireland, where we configured SimpleHome to cater for residents with mobility problems. SimpleHome is the most versatile and configurable home automation product on the market.”
Surrey and Manchester-based MRFS Group has installed a Cat5e network at Vantage Point that delivers unified management. It enables interaction with utility providers and also offers potential for communication with other Essential Living properties in the neighbourhood.
CEO for MRFS, Tony Bygraves, said: “MRFS has been involved with Essential Living from a very early stage and assisted with the technical and design specification to develop the brand image. MRFS subsequently put Comelit forward after visiting its manufacturing facility in Italy, ensuring it could fully comply with Essential Living’s requirements. The products have been very well received by all parties.”
About Vantage Point
Formerly known as Archway Tower, Vantage Point is on a corner of Highgate Hill. Its shared facilities include a lounge area, dining room and landscaped terraces in the former service zones on the upper two floors. The conversion has retained the structure and main core arrangements. Vantage Point took its first tenants in September 2016.
