One such house lies within the Highgate Village conservation area in north London. Birch House, a bespoke six bedroom house of over 500 m2, has been built as a joint venture by private developers. Constructed within a very confined area, the design makes the most of the limitations of the site so that it didn't look too constricted.
The lower ground floor incorporates an integral double garage, sauna, shower room and separate wc and cloakroom. There is also an entertainment room with kitchenette enclosed by solid oak folding doors and an au pair/maid's room with en suite bathroom. At the top end of the house, the roof features two bedrooms, a bathroom and a sitting room which is illuminated by a massive amount of light from the glazed roof.
To meet the lifestyle expectations of a modern family living in the 21st Century, the house has incorporated the most up-to-date services and amenities. These include central vacuuming, built-in burglar and fire alarm systems and a door entry system which is interactive with the hi-fi system, allowing operation from all rooms of the house using the phones. This system facilitates television scrutiny from any tv point, prior to entry.
The design of this type of installation requires a more sophisticated approach to cable management. The whole building has been star wired so that each accessory and telecom outlet is connected directly back to the patch panels, which are located in the basement.
The developer required a special type of electrical accessories range, one which would not only meet the building's power and telecom requirements, but would also be able to incorporate sophisticated devices. Hamilton Litestat's System 45 modular electrical accessories were chosen.
The System 45 face plates have incorporated double switched power sockets, 5 A lamp sockets, cooker outlets and shaving points. The developer has also featured plates with two telecom points and two coaxial outlets to allow for interactive television or to link the user with the World Wide Web.
Developer John Woodcock, says: "We liked System 45's flexible approach. Its extensive range of modules and devices along with its ability to accommodate up to 20 modules in one plate has enabled us to design each accessory to suit our specific needs. It also provides a simple and coordinated appearance throughout the building which blends perfectly with the ambiance we wanted to create. Having separate decorative face plates gives the owners the opportunity to change to a different style, should they not like our choice, or if they want something different to blend in with their decorations." The System 45 ivory plates were also used to incorporate the outstation devices for the IMI Systemline music system. It incorporates a 39 channel programmable tuner and 110 CD changer system which does a bit more than simply allowing the user to select the radio channel they want to listen to, or the CD, or a tape. If the telephone rings, or the door bell is pressed, the music system automatically responds by muting the sound to make the occupant aware that someone is calling. The kitchen/family room has also been designed to incorporate state of the art technology. A central vacuum kick plate allows dropped crumbs to be quickly removed from the sealed limestone slab floor. System 45 in this area has featured satin nickel finish face plates to merge with the stainless steel back plates while also blending with the cooker and extractor hood.
Source
Electrical and Mechanical Contractor
