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Home  Modular smart-home construction venture

Deployable Smart Home

A turnkey smart home designed to cut construction cost: foldable factory-built modules, craned onto screw pilings, run from one local server.

ConstructionBuilding AutomationIoTGeotechnical
5,000 ft²
two-level model home
7
HVAC zones with energy-recovery ventilation
Hover a zone
module 4 · folded for the flatbed

  • section cut
  • water (upstream stays live)
  • heating zone
  • cooling zone
  • satisfied
Factory modules fold flat for the flatbed, then a crane sets each one on screw pilings and it unfolds in place. A local rules engine (MQTT, BACnet) runs seven HVAC zones with energy-recovery ventilation, socket-level energy sub-metering and a touchscreen with jog wheel in every room. When a leak sensor gets wet, a rule closes the motorized ball valve on the water main. Temperatures and timings shown are simulated.

Challenge

Create a turnkey model smart home that drastically reduces construction costs.

Approach

We divided the home into foldable modules that stack on a flatbed and deploy onto screw pilings by crane. Prefabricated MEP panels were assembled and quality-checked in custom factory jigs with purpose-built test equipment. A rules engine and backend API on a local server (Node-RED, Home Assistant, MQTT, BACnet) expose lighting, electrical, networking, security and climate controls through a touchscreen and jog-wheel concierge in each room. Equipment selection, air distribution and load balancing follow ACCA, ANSI and ASHRAE standards.

Highlights

  • Revit blueprints for structural framing, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, networking and HVAC.
  • A two-level, 5,000 ft² model home with seven HVAC zones and energy-recovery ventilation.
  • Active flood prevention: leak-sensor events trigger motorized ball valves that shut off the water main.
  • Dashboards for LED lighting, room temperature, thermostatic shower cycles, socket-level energy sub-metering, air quality, cameras, presence, scenes and voice control.

From the bench

Dimensioned architectural floor plan of the model home: kitchen, great room, dining, bedrooms, baths and rear decks.
Dimensioned architectural floor plan of the model home: kitchen, great room, dining, bedrooms, baths and rear decks.
Concierge prototype: a touchscreen with a rotary jog wheel above a viewing window onto a motorized water-main shut-off valve.
Concierge prototype: a touchscreen with a rotary jog wheel above a viewing window onto a motorized water-main shut-off valve.
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