Comelit towering above Highgate Hill

System integrator, MRFS Group, has installed Comelit’s ViP system, complete with energy monitoring/display (using SimpleHome), at the landmark Vantage Point building above Archway Underground Station in north London.

Vantage Point is a 17-storey former civil service office block acquired by Essential Living, a developer and operator of private rental homes. The project underlines Comelit’s willingness to help integrators by adapting its standard products to specific needs. It also demonstrates how Comelit can help end-users reduce their carbon footprint.

Essential Living has converted Vantage Point into 118 sustainable private rental sector units, featuring a range of shared resident amenities. Construction work started in 2015 and the redevelopment has involved internal refurbishment throughout, as well as cladding the existing façade to a design created by GRID Architects.

Enabling sustainable living

MRFS/Essential requested modifications to Comelit’s firmware to ensure compliance with the Code for Sustainable Homes. Essentially, this means that the display on the monitor provides instant information and feedback for residents. This feature has now become standard on the Icona Manager, demonstrating that Comelit has the capability to address the needs of the market and adapt products to suit any requirements should the need arise.

Tenants will use a premium Comelit home automation monitor, Icona Manager, for video and audio communication with their visitors at ground level, as well as two-way audio communication with the onsite/offsite concierge. The complex brief from the developer also required that the system should receive pulsed outputs from the electricity and water meters.
This function is crucial for sustainable living. Comelit’s award-winning home automation system, SimpleHome, has achieved this objective by displaying energy/water usage and cost via the Icona Manager.

Francesca Boeris, Managing Director, Comelit UK, said, “Comelit will always go the extra mile. The fine-tuning here is similar to our recent work for a housing association in Northern Ireland, where we configured SimpleHome to cater for residents with mobility problems. SimpleHome is the most versatile and configurable home automation product on the market.”

Unified management solution

MRFS Group has installed a Cat5e network at Vantage Point that delivers this unified management solution. It enables interaction with utility providers and also opens up the potential for communication with other Essential Living properties in the neighbourhood.

CEO for MRFS, Tony Bygraves, said, “MRFS has been involved with Essential Living from a very early stage and assisted with the technical and design specification to develop the brand image. MRFS subsequently put Comelit forward after visiting its manufacturing facility in Italy, ensuring it could fully comply with Essential Living’s requirements. The products have been very well received by all parties.”

Formerly known as Archway Tower, Vantage Point is situated on a corner of Highgate Hill. Its shared facilities include an extensive lounge area, dining room and landscaped terraces in the former service zones on the upper two floors. The conversion has retained the existing structure and main core arrangements. Vantage Point welcomed its first tenants in September 2016 and is expected to kick-start a broader regeneration of the Archway area.