New Playa Vista development is making the smart-home standard
Plenty of worries come with owning a home: doors left unlocked, packages stolen, lights left on, etc.
One homebuilder is ready to make those anxieties a thing of the past.
Canada-based Brookfield Residential has teamed up with Apple for its new 66-home project — named The Collection — to create a smart-home community.
Located in the tech hub of Playa Vista, the contemporary homes feature the Apple HomeKit, which integrates home accessories such as lighting, thermostats, door locks and Wi-Fi into a user-controlled app.
Smart-home tech isn’t exactly new — there were 80 million devices delivered worldwide in 2016, according to CNBC. But what makes the development unique is that the Apple HomeKit comes standard in every residence. Homeowners can use an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Siri to control various elements of the home.
With spoken word or the touch of a button, doors can be locked, temperatures controlled, lighting managed and Wi-Fi enabled.
“We firmly believe this is the future of home building,” said Adrian Foley, COO of Brookfield Residential.
The company worked with Apple for about 15 months to integrate HomeKit with the homebuilder’s specifications, and chose the tech giant over others because of its commitment to privacy. Data from the home is encrypted and stored on the device, not the cloud, which Foley said gives consumers the most privacy.
Brookfield was strategic in choosing The Collection’s location. Google, YouTube and Yahoo all have campuses within walking distance, meaning the demographic is already technologically inclined.
“It’s much easier to convert a crowd that values a connected home than someone like my mother,” Foley said.
While he acknowledges that some may consider the smart homes’ current array of abilities limited, Brookfield plans to upgrade the home as new technology develops — not unlike an iOS upgrade.
Homes in The Collection range three to five bedrooms and 2,600 to 3,700 square feet, with asking prices starting from the low $2 millions.
jack.flemming@latimes.com
Twitter: @jflem94
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