FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Vista Del Sol in Salt Lake.
Wired Rosie the robot maid automatically cleaned up after George and Jane in the classic '60s cartoon "The Jetsons." Jean-Luc Picard barked orders at a meal-fabrication machine for an entree from the south of France in the '90s sci-fi TV series "Star Trek: Next Generation."
High-tech homes offer networking
Parade of Homes list of sites
capabilities and automatic lighting
By Ruby Mata-Viti
ruby@starbulletin.comIn real life, we're not there yet. However, some of the houses on view in the annual Parade of Homes, which runs tomorrow, Sunday and Oct. 19 and 20, provide a peek at new standards and approaches to easy living.
Unlike previous inventions such as the washing machine, oven and dishwasher, all considered luxuries when first introduced, new high-tech houses don't provide huge leaps in time savings such as having supper ready when summoned. Rather, they offer a subtler presence.
Don't want to enter a dark house after working late? With a high-tech home and a little programming, a path of lights will greet you as you step across the threshold. Want the Jacuzzi hot and bubbly when you yank your work shoes off? The house will have it ready as you pull into the driveway.
The owner of Vista Del Sol, entered in the Parade of Homes by Graham Builders Inc., initially sought high-tech strategies for security reasons, said Richard Braunthal, architect of the Salt Lake home.
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
The "smart" box is in control in the laundry room.
Braunthal put the owner in touch with John Cano of Advanced Technologies of Maui Inc., sparking a light bulb over his head as to the range of home-illumination possibilities.
Stepping over wires and plastic to protect the eggshell-colored carpeting, Cano was preparing for Parade of Homes judging but stopped to show us the laundry room, where the central box is located. It seemed like a trip to see the Wizard of Oz.
"It's brainless right now, but everything will be set" for judging, he said, pointing to a metal box about a foot wide by 3 feet long, wires dangling.
Possibilities are endless, said Cano, but at the very basic level, the OnQ System he installed will provide its owners with computer networking capabilities, cable throughout the house, and several lighting options.
This system can be programmed to light up a pathway from the garage to the bedroom, or wherever the client wants, and create the perfect ambience for entertaining, whether for elegant dinners or casual outdoor barbecues.
PITY THE technically challenged who can't even master the simple task of getting the LED clock to stop blinking 12:00 on old-fashioned VCRs. See them sink deeper into frustration as the home itself becomes a major appliance.
Cano, with respectful reservation, says human error, not mechanical glitches, will most likely be the source of any problems that arise. In any case, subscribers need not worry, because his company will remain on trouble call 24-7.
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
A computer loft at Vista Del Sol overlooks the living area.
The infrastructure of tech homes is designed with a platform that makes it possible to introduce and use future technologies on a plug-and-play basis, just as homeowners can plug a toaster into any electric socket today.
An aesthetic plus of this new technology, Cano said, is the absence of unsightly wires snaking from room to room for expanded cable, computer or entertainment-center connections. Everything is built into the home's infrastructure. Simply plug the television in for cable connection, the computer in for Internet, in any room that's wired.
This means it's easier than ever to have music piped throughout the house, and a computer, DVD player or television in every room, feeding off one main unit.
WHILE SOME MIGHT argue that these advancements push us farther away from family interaction, as children spend more time on computer games and television than chatting about their day, technology can actually empower, according to Stanford Carr of Stanford Carr Properties, developer of The Peninsula homes at Hawaii Kai, all of which have high-tech infrastructure wiring.
"I value the humanistic scale and see technology as a way to enhance that," he said. "It gives us more control. We can make use of it or not, to whatever extent it works" for the individual and the community.
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Carriageways, Plan 3 home at The Peninsula at Hawaii Kai.
Since he sees high-tech infrastructure is a necessity rather than a luxury, all the homes in The Peninsula are wired using the UStec system -- from the $200,000 to the $1,000,000 home -- each having capability for full technology, ready and waiting for data, video and audio hookup.
Though still in the planning stages, Carr said, community intranet networking is the next step in this innovation.
"We've installed an extra conduit to provide for fiber optics in the future," he said.
In this way, computers can be networked between home, office and school for community interaction.
"It could be a way to provide revenue for the community association," he said. "Businesses can advertise on the network, and money would go back to the community."
And although he's not sure how long it will be before each home will have its own Rosie preparing dinner in the future, we are taking steps in that direction. For instance, each home in The Peninsula has the option for computer hookup in the kitchen.
"We can pull a recipe from Food Network online right in the kitchen," Carr said.
Whether one views these advancements with trepidation or awe, they are out there for current and future generations to be as wired as they want to be.
Vista Del Sol Design Built Homes & Renovations by Graham Builders Inc.: Home works
>> Telephones and cable television all home-run, meaning phone and networking lines go from the panel to wall jack.
>> Home network -- computer file- and printer-sharing, with the loft as the main computer area.
>> Roadrunner Internet service with modem Internet access from multiple computers.
>> Lighting control to program lights when owners are on vacation, and programmed ambience lighting.
>> Enhanced video for security camera, and for the future, baby video monitoring.
Peninsula at Hawaii Kai by Stanford Carr Properties: >> Homes equipped with structured wiring system that allows computer resource sharing.
>> Printers, files, hard drives and modems can be networked and shared among family members and between home, office and school.
>> Entertainment services such as VCR, DVD, VOD, satellite or security camera signals can be distributed to all TV sets within the home.
>> Structured wiring system has the compatibility to connect security system, air conditioning, lighting and communication systems together for future automated home control and management.
When: Tomorrow, Sunday and Oct. 19 and 20, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2002 Parade of Homes
Presented by the Building Industry Association and Bank of Hawaii with 27 home entries.
Also: Children can get in the picture with a "Draw Your Dream Home" coloring contest. Entry sheets can be picked up at any Bank of Hawaii branch or downloaded at bia-hawaii.com. Completed forms can be dropped off during home-viewing hours. Winners receive two-for-one passes to Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park, $100 in game tokens from the Fun Factory or a Nintendo Game Cube from Toys 'n Joys.
Call: BIA-Hawaii at 847-4666, Ext. 206
BACK TO TOP |
Building Industry Association
of Hawaii and Bank of Hawaii
presents 2002 Parade of Homes
Single Family Detached
$199,000 to $299,000
Ke Noho Kai at Ocean Point -- Residence 202 Entered by HASEKO Homes Inc. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths; 91-1050 Kaileolea Drive, Big Island
$299,001 to $299,000
Holo Holo Ku at Parker Ranch -- The Cottage Entered by A&B Properties & Kamuela Associates LLC 2 bedrooms, 3 baths; 84 Yutaka Pen Place
The Pointe at Royal Kunia -- The Pointe Plan E Entered by Kunia Residential Partners c/o Castle & Cooke Kunia Inc. 4 bedrooms, 3 baths; 94-1032 Kapeha St.
Prescott by Gentry -- Mokihana, Model Plan 2 Entered by Gentry Homes Ltd. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths; 91-1023 Kauoha St.
Watercolors at Makakilo -- Viridian Entered by Schuler Homes Inc., a D.R. Horton Company 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths; 92-831 Makakilo Drive
$399,001 to $499,000
Kapolei Knolls -- Opus Entered by Schuler Homes Inc., a D.R. Horton Company 4 bedrooms, 3 baths; 91-1496 Wahane St.
Heritage at Lehiwa Ridge -- Plan F Entered by Castle & Cooke Homes Hawai'i Inc. 3 bedrooms, 3 baths (optional fourth bedroom); 95-1002 Kihene St.
Ke Noho Kai at Ocean Pointe -- Residence 403 Entered by HASEKO Homes Inc. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths; 91-1050 Kaileilea Drive
$499,001 to $599,000
Kahakai Estates, Plan 4A Entered by Stanford Carr Development 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths; 75-6166 Kuakini Highway, Big Island
The Peninsula at Hawaii Kai -- Carriage Ways, Plan 3 Entered by Stanford Carr Development 4 bedrooms, 3 baths; 520 Lunalilo Home Road
Woodbridge by Gentry -- Banyan Entered by Gentry Homes Ltd. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths; 91-215 Kauleo Place
$599,001 to $999,000
Le'olani at Hawaii Kai -- Overture Entered by Schuler Homes Inc., a D.R. Horton Company 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths (optional fifth bedroom); 7280 Hawaii Kai Drive
The Peninsula at Hawaii Kai -- Executive Residence, Plan 2 Entered by Stanford Carr Development 4 bedrooms, 3 baths; 520 Lunalilo Home Road
$999,001 to $1,999,000
The Villages at Mauna Lani -- Ali'i Villa, Residence 401 Entered by Maryl Group Inc., 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths; 68-1025 N. Kaniku Drive, Big Island
Multi Family
$244,001 to $299,000
Ke Noho Kai at Ocean Pointe -- Residence 105 Entered by HASEKO Homes Inc. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths; 91-1050 Kaileolea Drive
Halemalu at Puhi -- Ma'ili Entered by Schuler Homes Inc., a D.R. Horton Company 4 bedrooms, 3 baths; 2099A Kalikoli St., Kauai
$299,001 to $399,000
The Peninsula at Hawaii Kai -- The Villas, Plan 3 Entered by Stanford Carr Development 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths; 520 Lunalilo Home Road
$399,001 to $599,000
The Coconut Plantation at Ko Olina Marina & Resort, Grove Cottage Three -- Plumeria Entered by Brookfield Homes 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths 92-1070 Olani St.
Kai Lani at Ko Olina -- Kai Aulu, Model C Entered by Kai Lani Company LLC 2 bedrooms, 2 baths; 92-1001 Aliinui Drive
Waikoloa Colony Villas -- Plan 1056, Plan C Entered by Stanford Carr Development 2 bedrooms, 2 baths; 69-555 Waikoloa Beach Drive, Big Island
$599,001 to $999,000
The Villages at Mauna Lani -- Lehua Townhomes, Residence 405 Entered by Maryl Group Inc. 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths; 68-1025 N. Kaniku Drive, Big Island
Kai Lani at Ko Olina -- Kai Malu, Model D Entered by Kai Lani Company LLC 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths; 92-1001 Aliinui Drive
Custom Unfurnished
$299,000 to $399,000
Vista Del Sol Entered by Graham Builders Inc. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths; 3406 Ala Akulikuli St.
$399,001 to $499,000
Kakela Makai, Oceanview Subdivision -- Ohia Entered by Puuwai Design & Construction 3 bedrooms, 2 baths; 3619 Kuaaina St., Kauai
$499,001 to $1,999,000
Caputy Residence Entered by Homeworks Construction Inc. 4 bedrooms, 4 baths; 246 Paiko Drive
Vacation Ownership
Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Hilton Hawaiian Village -- Lagoon Tower Entered by Hilton Grand Vacations Club (HGVC) 2003 Kalia road
Noncompetitive
Kaopa Park Place -- Orchid Royal Clark Development, 3 bedrooms, 108-A Kahako St.
Click for online
calendars and events.
