Acoustics + Automation

AUTHOR: Eric Gross

SMART HOME PROFESSIONAL: AONYX

‍PROJECT LOCATION: London, England

PHOTOGRAPHY: courtesy of AONYX ltd

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The Dumont, a new luxury apartment building that resides on the River Thames in downtown London overlooking the Houses of Parliament, features a prime location and custom interior finishes and extravagant amenities to create an ultra-high-end experience for affluent individuals. It’s no surprise that the developers also chose to outfit the building with the latest technology: a Control4-powered entertainment area complete with an exquisite 18-seat movie theater, a bowling alley, and a billiards room. According to Richard Reid, Managing Director of custom integration firm AONYX, the building’s developer knew early on clients of this stature require catered experiences in addition to luxurious residences. They decided it was crucial to include high-end versions of fun activities to differentiate from other buildings and entice potential buyers.

“The top-end of London’s residential real estate market is in a bit of an arms race to provide high-net-worth individuals with customized living experiences, and centerpiece amenities like this incredible movie theater make a statement to potential buyers,” says Reid. “Every detail matters here: from color-matched custom-painted grilles for the Triad Platinum Series in-ceiling speakers to the hand-built projector enclosure. The most important thing, however, is that the room and system is always reliable and easy to use, and that’s why we chose to install Control4 over other automation and media distribution systems.”

“We were essentially given a concrete shell, and the vision of the developer was to create a super-prime cinema setting for the residents to enjoy. We had a really high bar to match the expectations of what are, no doubt, really discerning individuals that are going to be using this space.” Oliver Benson, AONYX

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CINEMA GOODIES:  

• Seats 18 people comfortably with wheelchair access
• Features an elegantly illuminated tiered seating platform
• 14 speakers hidden behind the screen, walls, columns, and within the ceiling
• Dolby Atmos surround sound placement for auditory immersion
• Projector is discreetly mounted within a custom-built joinery unit
• Audio, video and lighting controlled through Control4 interfaces and mobile app

AONYX knew the best solution for the theater and entertainment areas was a simple, intuitive, and expandable automation system. Using the system’s super-simple user interface on mobile devices or a Control4 remote, staff can quickly and easily set up or shut down the entire entertainment area, choose movies or music, and set the volume for each independent area. The theater, bowling alley, and billiards rooms each have hidden Triad speakers in the walls and ceilings to play any audio a resident desires through the Control4 multi-room audio system. Each room can play the same music or use different sources for multiple groups. In addition to the painted in-ceiling speakers, AONYX also installed acoustic treatments and Triad in-wall speakers behind the theater’s fabric walls and behind the screen itself to deliver a commercial-grade surround sound experience for every seat. Kaleidescape players in each room offer a custom selection of titles chosen by property management, while Apple TVs enable residents to bring their own content or connect to subscription streaming services.

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The hidden technology in these rooms presents an out-of-sight, out-of-mind experience that provides all the benefits of top-shelf tech with no headaches.

"In buildings like this, the goal is to ensure residents can live carefree and not have to trouble themselves with details or procedures of building functions,” says Oliver Benson, Operations Director at AONYX. “All the hidden technology in these rooms presents an out-of-sight, out-of-mind experience that provides all the benefits of top-shelf tech with none of the headaches."

Residents can book the theater and other spaces through a digital reservation system. Because it’s a basement entertainment area, AONYX enhanced the wireless networking with professional-grade equipment, so there is plenty of bandwidth to support dozens of guests and the AV system in the cinema. “Using the latest technologies and finest finishes, we help design and integrate world-class amenities to satisfy the upper echelon of homeowners,” Reid said. “With Control4 and Triad, we can bring commercial movie magic to private spaces in a way that’s intuitive, expandable, and able to blend in with any aesthetic.”