The use of so much  glass at a luxury development brought about many challenges. Lutron was on hand to help out

Luxury is the byword of any new development in the Belgravia area of London. 10 Montrose Place is no exception to this rule.

Unusually in an area renowned for its Victorian mews buildings and lines of Georgian terraces, 10 Montrose Place is the epitome of modern city living.  Floor to ceiling windows line every exterior wall of the apartment complex and the striking living spaces ensure residents make the most of the prime location of this dramatic property.

The use of so much glass, does however come with its challenges.  Although all the apartments benefit from the airiness of so much daylight, there is also a need to manage the light levels coming into the properties throughout the day.  A problem easily solved by integrating Lutron’s shades and lighting control technology into the project.

A show apartment on the ground floor was created to demonstrate to purchasers the true potential of integrated technological solutions.  With an open plan dining room, kitchen, living and TV area, along with two bedrooms and a study, complete with en-suite, it is the ultimate in modern living.  One look at the kitchen’s flush fitted coffee machine, oven and fridge gives an insight into the level of forethought that has to be built into a property of this calibre.

Midnight Integrated Systems, a specialist security, AV and lighting integrator to the high-end residential sector, was responsible for the integration of all the technology across the apartments.  Chris Wood, managing director, explains: “The show residence provided a unique opportunity for us to demonstrate what a truly integrated apartment can offer to its users.  By integrating the Lutron HomeWorks lighting control system and a central AV control system, the homeowner can sit on their sofa, control the blinds and curtains, turn on the TV, adjust the sound and lower the lights with the touch of a single button”.

The use of  Lutron’s® Sivoia QED  (Quiet Electronic Drive) shading system linked in to it’s renowned HomeWork’s lighting control system ensures that the light levels within the show apartment are managed at all times of the day and night.  The HomeWork 8 series system, running 54 lighting circuits along with 16 keypads in a range of two and four button bronze antique finishes, was linked into the Sivoia QED shading system and the Sivoia QED curtain track for ultimate control of natural and artificial light.  By installing twin roller blinds, that incorporated black out and opaque blinds, the system could regulate, with the use of photosensors, the ambient daylight in the room and lower or raise the blinds according to exterior light levels.

The choice of Lutron’s Sivoia QED shading system by Chris Wood was due to the silent operation of the drives.  “When a purchaser in Belgravia is looking to buy a property, they are looking for the best fittings as well as space.  By using product’s such as Lutron’s shading system, we ensured that there was no noise associated with the control of the blinds and curtains, re-enforcing the quality of our overall installation.”

Perfection doesn’t stop at the quietness of the blinds and curtains.  The shades were aligned so that their borders perfectly matched the metal mullions between the five glass windows in the central living space.  Due to the large space the shades were covering in the living area, careful attention was paid to the shading combinations used.  In the kitchen area a Sheer Shade was used, with the Lutron Fiberglass Basketweave 1 with a 10% openness factor.  The choice of this particular fabric was to maintain the view from the apartment and limit harsh glare at the same time.  The second shade uses the Lutron dual-sided Fiberglass Basketweave with a five per cent openness factor, with a white back that reflects light to reduce solar heat gain.  The dual-shade arrangement of both the blinds and the curtains not only reduced harsh sunlight, but provided complete blackout where needed.

10 Montrose Place was designed by architectural practice, Hamilton Architects, with show flat interior created by Helen Green Design.  Helen’s ability to create interior design scheme’s that combine timeless elegance with contemporary day-to-day living have placed her at the forefront of British design and made her company well-suited to meeting the challenge of furnishing such an exclusive complex. Her concept for the show flat demonstrated this ethos perfectly with the use of a rich, yet muted palette that emphasised the sophisticated nature of potential buyers.

The overall mix of sophistication and state of the art technology has been ‘a recipe made in heaven’ for Grosvenor and Native Land. In fact the complex has proved so popular that the majority of apartments were bought off plan and the show flat sold within three days of going on the market.