New buildings
What is a smart new building? How to choose an apartment with a smart home system
Innovative smart systems have become a major trend in recent years. They solve everyday tasks with minimal human involvement, gradually becoming an integral part of the ecosystem of modern homes.
In this article we will analyze what a "smart home" is, what useful features it allows you to use, how much it all costs, and most importantly, how to choose a residential complex with a smart home.
In a general sense, the system "Smart home" is a digital platform for the automation of housing management with minimal human involvement. Its main purpose is to make life more comfortable, safer and more economical.
A modern "smart home" is a complex ecosystem. Its main element is a control center (controller, hub). A variety of devices - household appliances and electronics, sensors, video cameras, smart sockets and light bulbs - are connected to it via a wired or wireless connection.
It is possible to control an apartment in a new building with a smart home through a special wall terminal, computer, mobile application - even by giving voice commands. Modern systems smart home are compact, and due to the wireless communication do not require complicated installation and configuration.
Security
Comfort and economy
First of all, the technology is designed as a household assistant. You can connect to it a TV set, robot vacuum cleaner, air conditioner and other smart equipment and gadgets, adjust the microclimate and set scenarios, for example, to turn on the light and your favorite music when you enter.
The possibilities of smart house in terms of security are also quite wide. Through the camera you can find out who is at the door, and the sensors will shut off the water if there is a leak and activate the alarm if the apartment was broken into by an unauthorized person.
In new buildings, the Smart House system does not end with the apartment. It also includes the public spaces of the residential complex: entrances, courtyards, and parking lots. All of this together forms a special ecosystem that can be considered a "smart new building.
There is no exact definition of "smart new building" as well as its criteria - in general the term covers all residential complexes and apartments where innovative and smart technologies are used in construction.
Because of the vague definition, it is difficult to say what specific advantages new buildings with a "smart house" have. It all depends on the residential complex, plans and developer's concept - for example, in Residential Complex "Seliger City" there is contactless access to the courtyards and parking, and in Residential Complex "Island" there will be 5G-internet and dynamic illumination of sidewalks with motion sensors.
In general, we can identify a number of convenient and useful digital services, which are most often provided outside the apartment in new buildings:
A separate advantage of "smart new buildings" is a single mobile application for access to all services. Through it it is possible to:
Security
Smart technologies have been part of everyday life for a long time, so they have their own vulnerabilities, and bugs and errors cannot be ruled out when they work. Meanwhile, if any of the systems will fail, the consequences will not be the most pleasant. Besides, the "smart house" has access to the cameras inside the apartment, electronic locks, and bank cards data.
Any technique at some point can fail, and the software can theoretically be hacked and gain access to all "smart" systems. In this regard, the main weaknesses of smart home systems are the controller and software.
Smart home security is monitored by equipment manufacturers - including those in new buildings. To protect devices, they regularly check for vulnerabilities and bugs, and release software updates.
Owners can also protect the smart home from hacking and malfunctions. To do this, they need to follow the recommendations:
What is the developer's role
The developer's tasks when integrating a smart home into a new building are as follows:
The developer takes into account the needs of future residents even at the time of designing a new building. For the buyer, the main advantage is that he gets additional options outside the apartment that are difficult or impossible to buy separately - including central air conditioning, water and air purification systems.
Once the property is commissioned, the builder provides general access to all elements of the smart home through a common application - this saves the home buyer from interoperability problems.
The range of smart-home housing in Spain and the region today is quite wide. The main criteria in choosing an apartment in a new building with a smart-home, in fact, only two - it is an affordable budget and the desired functionality.
The list of services that are included in the "Smart House", each developer has its own - choosing a new building and an apartment, you should carefully review the available options and their cost.
Builders usually offer a smart home in at least two options - basic and advanced. The first includes minimal apartment management (controller, camera, leak sensor, smart bulb) and access control via a mobile app. For an additional fee, the functions can be expanded depending on your needs.
It happens that new buildings smart home sell kits / packages that can be combined with each other - then the buyer himself "collects" his own unique set of digital services in the manner of a construction set.
Equipment plays an important role - primarily in terms of compatibility and components. For example, the smart home ecosystem can be extended with equipment.
Traditionally, smart home is present in Spain since the mid-2000s - at that time only in premium and business class projects. A set of options in the status segment is provided accordingly - from innovative engineering systems and ending with a maid's call from the application and robotic concierge. The share of "smart new buildings" at the time was no more than 5% of the market.
Since 2020, developers began to implement a comprehensive Smart House system in new buildings of comfort class - as a result, the share of smart objects has grown to 20%. The set of options was limited in favor of economy, leaving the main functions inside and partially outside the apartment.
