Snap One Drives Garage Innovation at Spy-Themed Villa

In 2021, the owner of this beautiful luxury villa on The Algarve engaged Portuguese integration expert, Consexto, to create a remarkable luxury cinema at his home. The incredible space reflected the owner’s love for a famous, charismatic spy, with interior styling and smart automation paying homage in eye-catching ways. This included a motorized double door entrance that hides the cinema behind a bookshelf and is voice activated to open; an automated pop-out drinks’ holder from within the cinema seats; and, the ability to add seating from beneath the floor and reconfigure the space through motorization. This luxurious cinema, reliant on the Control4 platform, is a very special place.  

It’s no surprise that the owner has turned to Consexto again to optimize the experience of two other key spaces at the villa. This time it is two garage areas which are home to an extensive collection of highly collectible cars and motorbikes. Once more, Control4 is at the forefront of this impressive installation.

Consexto has used Control4 automation, together with smart lighting and invisible audio technology, to create two spectacular areas which showcase the vehicles in all their glory, but also allow the spaces to double up as an event venue, hosting photoshoots, corporate hospitality events and filming locations. Individual spaces, some defined by colour changing KNX lighting and rotating turntables controlled by Control4, perfectly position the cars, while the clean, contemporary décor ensures the vehicles are treated as works of art, receiving all the attention they deserve. Control4 is also the interface for operating a motorized retracting staircase which enables guests and residents to move easily between levels as well as an automated privacy wall which means different areas can be kept separate. A high-end audio system, complete with invisible loudspeakers which are concealed within the walls, allows the owner to provide a discreet soundtrack throughout each area. This ensures the owner can access music through Control4 when enjoying the collection but also offers the versatility for the garages to be used as an events space with a difference.

A Control4 system, consisting of a CA10 Controller with seven T4 Touchscreens, located at key points around each garage– the same model of touchscreen that also controls the cinema – manages the entire setup. With high levels of processing power and memory, the fault-tolerant CA10 offers premium system reliability, while the T4Touchscreens offer a high-resolution screen and a choice of intuitive GUIs to enhance the experience still further. The automated staircase, privacy wall, turntables and garage entry systems are all handled by Control4, interfacing with PLC drivers and industrial automation to ensure smooth, seamless and reliable operation.

The garages are also on the same network as the cinema, so 210 Switches from Snap One brand, Araknis, are shared by both spaces. Lighting is cleverly used throughout the space to highlight the cars while also creating an ambience that works for the high-end events being hosted in the garages. All lights are controlled by KNX with an IP router used to make the interface between Control4 and KNX.

“We were delighted to work on such an amazing project,” says Joao Vitoriano, Consexto’s CTO. “It challenged our automation skills and our imagination as we worked to deliver the functionality that was required. Everything combines perfectly to create luxurious, elegant and sophisticated yet multi-functional spaces that meet the needs of the homeowner, as well as event guests and corporate clients. We love it and our client does too!”

Control4 is a Snap One brand. More information on Snap One can be found at www.snapone.com. Information on Consexto is available at www.consexto.com.

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Equipment list 

Control4 CA10Controller 

Control4 T4 Touchscreens

Stealth Acoustics LR8 speakers

Sonos amplifiers

Araknis 210 Switches

Pakedge PDU PE-08 power distributionunit

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