A case study of converted Grade 2-listed period houses and apartments, and a private gated riverside development called Fitzroy Gate in Old Isleworth, Middlesex. The project involves UK retirement developer Beechcroft Developments and property developer St James (part of the Berkeley Group).
This site on the Thames waterfront includes the White House, a stucco Georgian building created in 1832, an Edwardian red-brick chapel and new apartments.
The installers Standing Power Electrical have fitted Comelit’s Ikall panel at the entrance to Fitzroy Gate. The Ikall panel is modular in design, which allows for customisation, the door entry systems company says. The standard unit features a 128×64-pixel display and 21-button backlit keypad. It’s programmable via USB and RS485 ports.
Once inside the parkland estate, visitors use a secondary audio-only entrance panel from Comelit’s 3one6 range for access to an apartment block. These panels have a 4mm stainless steel plate and are flush-mounted.
Many of the new apartments have been fitted with SimpleHome, Comelit’s home automation system, which lets residents control their lighting by enabling them to create their own ‘scenarios.’ According to the product firm, SimpleHome reduces the building’s carbon footprint by showing occupants frequent updates of their energy usage by connecting to pulsed output meters installed by the utility companies.
SimpleHome works with any type of switch and is used on other projects for a range of utility readings, including water use. SimpleHome also allows customised management of audio-visual entertainment by zone for family members. This aspect of the Fitzroy Gate project was fitted by EML Installations.
In the houses and apartments, residents use either Icona or Icona Manager monitors to speak with visitors. Icona Manager combines door entry functions with home automation. As a touchscreen, it responds to gesture and ‘swipe’ conventions similar to that of a smartphone or tablet device.
John Line, Business Development Manager at Comelit Group UK, said: “Fitzroy Gate is interesting insofar as Comelit’s door entry and SimpleHome automation system have met the differing requirements of two developers and two installers. The estate is extensive and has multiple building types, but we have succeeded in responding to current needs, as well as supplying a future-proofed IP solution. The project shows Comelit excelling on yet another project of historical interest by providing a really flexible and adaptable installation.”
Twickenham-based EML Installations Ltd, designs, installs and tests electrical systems for new properties and refurbishments. The company’s disciplines include access control, fire alarms, CCTV and data cabling. The company is a NICEIC-approved contractor. Standing Power Electrical Contractors is Camberley-based and has a portfolio that includes high-end domestic projects of this type.
