Daniel Craig (not the actor but certainly a San Diego star) started this highly unique MDU project when working for another company, but continued on it when he started his own company, Absolute AV Design, in 2017. The builder asked him to finish the project out and help to transition it to the next phases.
The plan to put automation in every single condominium residence was proposed and accepted; units were wired for complete surround sound and music, as well as for touch screens that would provide simple control of all the lighting and shading. A standard was proposed to the builder and was fully accepted. The opportunity for residents to select other technologies as more of an upgrade approach was also part of the picture.
At Pacific Gate Condominiums, there are a total of 215 condominium residence units, and the entire top floor is owned by the condo developer. Each bedroom in the development is fully equipped with speakers for music and premium sound. All the condo’s equipment is neatly tucked away in a centrally located closet or underneath the TV in the living room spaces.
Every condominium has been outfitted with a 7-inch ELAN touch panel on the wall. Common areas were also completed with state-of-the-art control using ELAN Touch Panels in different spaces, including a full Theater Room, Gym and Workout Area, and Community Lounge. Easily adjusted music can be played and enjoyed outside on the pool deck and throughout the lobby. All these common spaces are controlled and accessed using an ELAN Control System.
Challenges and Solutions
The original plan for how the ELAN control system was going to interact with the chosen HVAC system was not possible. The dealer had to go to Coolmaster and share the wiring that was going to be implemented, the products selected, and more for discussion on how best to approach a successful solution. Absolute AV had to engineer a new way for the ELAN system to interact with the HVAC system. Because of this, the collective team had to adjust to using one Coolmaster per floor, rather than one in every unit as was originally planned.
Craig and his team also had to ensure the builder was trained and knew how to use the products in both the individual units and the common areas. They wanted to assure the collective group that they didn’t have to use Absolute AV for help and wanted to enable them to be self-sufficient.
Craig made himself available for no cost to visit every single homeowner’s walkthrough to show them how to use the touch screen, show them what it could do for their life, and ensure their complete comfort with using the system. He personally has met with two-thirds of all the residents. Absolute AV has also performed enhanced systems and upgrade work in over half of the units after people purchased their condominium.
Full Integration
Because of its ability to integrate with Daikin HVAC system, Mecho-shades, and Lutron in such a deep and personalized way, ELAN Control Systems were selected. The Dealer needed to have a system that would integrate ideally with all these systems and brands.
The ELAN Control System would allow for customized templates on each residence touch panel and give the developers the ability to provide somebody with a clean interface for their home and meet their needs. Homeowners can create custom lighting scenes without having to hire Absolute AV to come back and do it for them, which is a true testament to the advancement of the ELAN control systems. Thanks to this choice, the homeowner can also have Absolute AV or any ELAN Dealer upgrade and service the product if ever desired.
The Best Part
Craig shared his favorite part and what he is most proud of in this San Diego flagship project: Originally, the developer/builder said they intended to provide a list of three dealers residence owners could call for technology upgrades and service as part of the original plan. However, thanks to Absolute AV’s service levels and commitment throughout the project, in the end, they decided to only recommend Absolute AV Design.
“We continue to serve these condo homeowners today, and this project was such an amazing launching point for our company,” says Craig. “We have built wonderful relationships and feel we are a part of the building and the families that call Pacific Gate home. We know over half of people in this beautiful building!
“This was a massive undertaking and launching moment for us, and today it is nice to have one of the most luxurious buildings in town be such a key foundation and part of our business. It feels like it’s our building, and there’s a sense of pride by all of our team in that.”
Plus, this project continues to bring in new business. Over the past two to three years, some of the condominiums have been enhanced by Absolute AV as they are sold to new buyers. The referrals have been strong for all new owners after sale for Absolute AV.
For more information on Absolute AV’s services, visit https://www.absoluteavdesign.com/.
Equipment List
Individual Condo Units
Wiring:
- Speaker wiring for five in-ceiling speakers in the living room and two in-ceiling speakers in the master bedroom
- Cat6 wiring for video distribution to the TV location in the Living room, Master bedroom and guest room(s)
- All wiring was done from the AV closet to each room, as well as from below the main tv location in living room, to allow each person to choose if they wanted their equipment in a rack in the closet or in a media credenza in the living room
- Celerity fiber-optic HDMI cable from AV closet to bathroom mirror TV (master)
Equipment [Builder]
- ELAN GSC-2
- ELAN TP7 touch panel
- Basic Netgear Wi-Fi router to allow for configuration, testing, and automation of the lights/shades/HVAC
- Coolmaster NET to tie in the Daikin HVAC system
- Lutron main repeater, three dimmers, one switch for lighting control
- Mechoshades MNI to tie in the shades to the ELAN control system
Equipment [Buyers After Condo Purchase]
- ELAN HR30 remotes
- ELAN G1 controllers
- Mixture of Speakercraft, Origin Acoustics, and Martin Logan in-ceiling speakers
- Denon AV receivers
- AV Pro Edge baluns/matrices
- Apple TV
- Middle Atlantic and Strong AV racks
- Ubiquiti networks
- Sonos systems
Common Area
Wiring:
- Cat6 for video distribution and Wi-Fi
- 16/2 Plenum for music throughout the common areas
- 14/2 direct burial for landscape speakers in planters around the pool
Equipment:
- ELAN GSC10
- ELAN TP7s in each area that allows for end-user control
- Centralized Strong AV racks
Media Room:
- Draper acoustically transparent 130-inch theater screen
- Sony Projector
- Martin Logan architectural speakers (three Edge in-walls behind the screen, two Atmos effects in ceiling speakers, four Dolby surround in-ceilings speakers, two Martin Logan Dynamo700 subwoofers)
- ELAN TP7 and HR10 remote
- Apple TV and Google Chromecast to allow for end users to cast their content
- Sony Blu-ray player
