Disabled housing provider DPN has officially opened the doors of its publicly-owned HomeKit Able House last week in Sydney Australia. Consisting of two houses on one property, each of them was developed with the idea of ​​helping residents in need of disability accommodation. This is the first of many planned properties across the country that use the power of smart technology, including the Apple HomeKit, to enable a higher standard of living independently.

Recently, I received a virtual tour of the property before its disclosure, led by DPN Innovation Director Daniel Feodoroff, where I could see all the technology that was attentive and well, simply, cool, on offer. In addition to general attributes, such as open spaces and large doors / hallways, smart accessories are deployed in homes to meet specific needs.

Staples such as smart lighting, blinds and climate control are available, each offering control of Home applications from iPhone, iPads, Macs and Apple Watch. Siri is also used through various devices as well as HomePods, giving residents a convenient way to make adjustments using just their voice. The property also hosts several HomeKit updates, which have involved smart solutions and unique hardware combinations to make it all work.

Located in the Oran Park area of ​​southwest Sydney, debutant Casa Capace has been labeled a "game changer" for people with disabilities. The project started over 3 years ago and is made up of a team of 20 people, with many still working at home just a day before its disclosure, which attracted an audience that included the prime minister.

outer

Daniel started the tour with a view of the property from the outside, where I was greeted by two modern, beautifully designed houses that looked absolutely amazing when paired with local weather. Daniel tells me that the houses were designed by renowned architect Aaron Stevens and consist of a total of six bedrooms throughout the property.

Before we headed to one of the homes, the first HomeKit accessory made its appearance, a Netatmo presence room. This is the only room on the market for the Apple platform that is designed to use the wiring of an outdoor light fixture, making it a more perfect approach to home security.

Behind the scenes

We then headed inland, where Daniel showed his brain of intelligent operation at home, a series of VC / S99.1 KNX Control Busch-Voice Control gateways. Gateways, which are HomeKit certified, allow the team to introduce custom installations into the connected world.

The system also allows for quick response time to commands sent through applications and voice, demos running almost instantly, something Daniel claims would not have been possible using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth accessories.

Laundry

Next was the laundry area, where I was shown one of the many adjustable tables / benches found in the house. What appeared to be just an ordinary countertop, with an integrated sink, had a smooth motor system, which allowed the entire surface to rise up or down depending on the needs of the inhabitants.

Daniel tells me that the team worked with drive technology specialists, LINAK to make a solution that relies on standing office hardware and coupled it with their counters to make everything happen. Convenient controls are hidden from below, as you would see on a standing desk and, of course, HomeKit is also on the journey, allowing for voice adjustments.

HomeKit adjustments could be set by percent, allowing residents to use expressions such as "raise the bank to 100%" to raise it to its full height.

Bathroom

While the next area, a bathroom had standard smart home accessories, such as a headlight, and overhead lighting, it also included an occupancy sensor. Whether through the Home or Siri application, the sensor can inform those inside if the bathroom is up and running, thus saving a trip or just for welfare checks.

Aside from the smart accessories, I was rather impressed by the thought behind the touches the team added. A goal of the team was to design the property as something that looked and felt like a home, and not a cold, sterile hospital-like environment.

Small things have been highlighted, such as the installation of bodies with traditional colors and hardware, which are far from standard accessibility projects, which usually have a certain scheme to identify as such. On the sinks, longer handles were placed to help accessibility, but it still looked modern, clean.

Halls

Starting from the bathroom, which would usually be a pretty uneventful business, he revealed an impressive technology involving the doors of the house. Each door can be opened completely without hands, through a wave of the hand towards a control on a wall or, you guessed it, through the Home and Siri application. Powered by an Assa Abloy Commercial Door Opener and tied to the KNX gate, the door opens and closes magically upon request, which is the first I've seen in a residential application.

So far we are not finished with the doors, because Daniel gave me a quick demonstration of a function other than HomeKit, but it was still quite important. Each door in the house is provided with a safety device that prevents it from closing when an object, such as a hand, foot or wheel, is in the way.

Kitchen

Going into the kitchen, I was shown a number of accessible appliances, such as the fridge doors that have handles long enough to accommodate an entire arm for use, and an oven with sliding shelves. Another height-adjustable surface could be found in the kitchen, this time supplemented with an induction hob along with a sink.

A large island complete with its own adjustable height system slid up and down easily, which again was extremely impressive to see it moving. Near the end of the island was an extracted fridge that opened to the area behind the kitchen, for easier access from the living room.

Living area

The kitchen opened to a living area, where the windows from floor to ceiling were what seemed to be the length of an entire wall. The inhabitants of the house are able to adjust a series of blinds to their preferences, both through a pure set and a darkening set of the room.

Covering HomeKit over the past few years, I was well aware of the rather large lack of accessories available in certain markets, so it was no surprise that DPN again had to use its own window cover solution, which made their achievements even more remarkable. .

bedroom

For entertainment, the home was equipped with the aforementioned HomePods, as well as Apple TVs and LG HomeKit TVs. Two HomePods flanked a TV in the living area on a typical shelf, but in the bedrooms, each TV was mounted on a wall. A conveniently located HomePod rests on a nightstand providing a way for the resident to set off a good morning scene, bringing their life to life. The blinds were automatically opened, the lights were on and the TV breathed into life only with a shout.

Several non-tech touches were found in the bedroom, where I was shown how tables and an office can move freely and how a hanger for hanging clothes can be lowered to the height of the wheelchair with a long rod. What appeared to be huge windows in the room were actually sliding doors, which used small remotes as a HomeKit solution not yet available. Speaking of sliding doors, the large mirror or closet doors had special panels at the bottom to prevent damage from everyday life.

For air conditioning, each room inside has its own heating and cooling system, allowing residents to adjust temperatures according to their specific needs and preferences. Daniel pointed to the Home application interface for heating and cooling settings and mentioned that they have chosen separate systems for cases where the status of a resident may require certain temperatures, which may vary from the person staying in the room right next door.

Office

Around the interior were small offices in both houses for a care assistant, one of whom had a hidden upstairs bed. The offices had full access to all the smart features of homes from a wall-mounted control panel, which was surprising, not from an iPad.

As mentioned earlier, occupancy controls are also available through HomeKit, and the team has also chosen to install an intercom system in the office to provide support staff with a quick and easy way to communicate with residents if it's needed.

Caregivers also have access to a property security system, although it was not mentioned if HomeKit was activated.

Outdoor

Finally, we then headed back, where some additional controllers were displayed, as well as a solar power system. Wide tracks ran alongside the house, and on the way to the next house on the property, we passed through a small garden area that was off the ground and blended well with the surroundings.

An open garage area between the houses provided plenty of space for larger cars, as well as a little more space for residents to move around. Even though the area was an open concept, with no garage doors, the entire area was covered with open slatted roofs, providing little protection against the elements.

odds and ends

Before we finished our tour, we asked about things like any additional technology pieces that residents offered, including an iPad, as well as how many HomeKit accessories were used. Daniel did not have an exact number, but estimated that around 100 were spread around the property.

In addition to HomeKit controls, residents can use home technology for various entertainment controls around the world, such as playing music and finding content via Apple TV. The team intends to incorporate other HomeKit accessories and features as they become available over time, such as the sliding doors mentioned earlier in the bedrooms.

Future plans

We also asked about future plans and learned that additional locations in Sydney will include one to three bedroom homes, bringing a total of 16 homes by 2020. They also plan to spread the program across the country over the next four to every five years, with over 600 locations targeted, bringing about 1,500 new homes in total.

Sam Khalil, founder of DPN and group director:

"While the rollout of the 16 new homes this year will be a significant accomplishment for us, it is just the beginning of our plans. We are in talks with other potential investors to expand this project to more than 1,500 homes in Australia - and he welcomes a partnership with any suppliers, suppliers or corporations interested in Sustainable Independent Life who want to partner with us. Once completed, the SDAs Capace House will provide homes for more than 3,750 NDIS participants. "

During my tour, I continued to think about how well-designed and attentive the team is, so much so that I saw the property as a wonderful smart residence and not just one that was built with disabilities. I have noticed several times that it is a place I wanted to live in, despite the fact that I only saw it in a FaceTime video tournament, which definitely makes me think that the team has achieved one of its main goals. .

If you are interested in learning more about Casa Capace and DPN, you can check out the company's website where you can find additional details, pictures and videos.