Specification Overview
Tusk Developments Limited began the renovation and conversion of the Halcyon at the end of January 2006 and embarked on a complete re-design of the buildings to create 12 dramatic apartments with the highest specification of fixtures and fittings.
Renowned for their creation of dramatic spaces and exceptional finishes, Tusk has sourced materials and fittings from all over the world to adorn these apartments. From Solid Purple Heart, Tigerwood and Coconut timber flooring to Bamboo Verde Marble, Zimbabwe Marble and Italian stone rosettes as well as semi-precious Abalone tiles from The Philippines.
Many of the fittings have been designed by Tusk especially for this development such as the unique range of coloured glass canoe wash basins, which are available in over 20 colours ranging from vibrant orange to subtle aluminium. The unique basin pedestal range is also designed and manufactured by Tusk while exclusive floor standing basin mixers complete the scene.
Also designed as part of the new Tusk Spa range, are the state of the art hydrotherapy baths. The two versions used for the Halcyon are a jet black bath with tinted glass front and polished chrome hydrotherapy jets carefully positioned providing controllable massage to different parts of the body as needed. The second version is Tusk’s fully tiled (inside and out) range of hydrotherapy baths, also with a fully controllable 18 jet system and Ozone Cleaning. Every apartment is fitted with a steam shower and every shower boasts multiple body jets and a luxurious shower panel made out of natural marine wood to add to the glamour and exclusivity of this unique development.
The TVs in the bathrooms and kitchens are completely invisible when switched off, hidden inside a mirrored panel. Leather clad panels surround the 62 inch High Definition LCD TV in the sumptuous living room of the show apartment. The show apartment even comes complete with a tropical fresh water fish tank in the entrance hallway, providing a dancing display of colours for the kitchen/breakfast room and down the stairway to the bedroom level.
A Burmese volcanic stone Buddha, over 2m high stands watch over the Italian burl paneled hallway and faces a purpose built display cabinet with such marvels as an ancient tattoo needle with the head of a deity as its handle, a Khmer Bronze Garuda and various ancient bronze bracelets, one Vietnamese bracelet in particular dates back to 500BC-43AD from the Dong Son period.
Many artefacts adorn the rooms such as Baga Nimba Rice Figures which are worn on top of a headdress to celebrate the rice harvest in Cameroon and Dogon Figures from Mali. A Ceremonial Kimono takes pride of place on one of the walls whilst in another room the ornate carved back of a Thai temple sits behind a large carved divination pot from Ghana.
Created for the true connoisseur, no expense has been spared and no detail considered too small. Even the electric sockets in the kitchens pop-up from within the worktop when required and then disappear at the touch of a button, whilst in the powder rooms an infinity ceiling with 160 fibre optic lights, ascends to eternity whilst traversing through the colour spectrum.
Behind all of the beautiful finishes lays a state of the art Crestron control system and multi-zone Leax lighting system providing complete control of everything within the apartment at the touch of a button.
Audio Visual System
Each apartment has been cabled with the new standard in video cabling for supplying High Definition TV content called 1080P. The audio visual system within each apartment consists of the following elements: Full 1080p High Definition TV’s showing content from centrally located equipment, such as High Definition SKY decoders, High Definition DVD players etc.
The loudspeakers are state of the art hidden speakers located in the ceilings throughout the apartments. Completely invisible they provide sound from centrally located equipment, this can include the above plus music servers, DAB (digital) and FM radio etc.
Control panels which allow full control of the Audio Visual system and other systems within the property are located throughout. An 8.4” wireless version (Crestron Tablet PC) is also available which provides full control of everything within the apartment from the air conditioning heating/cooling to the underfloor heating, lighting system, music, tv, video, security, door entry and even provides internet access in the same way that a pda/laptop can.
Each room within the property is treated as a separate zone, allowing the same or different music to be played as in other rooms. This is all selectable via the touch panels, where one has full control of the music library as well as selecting radio stations and of course controlling the volume of the sound within the room. Furthermore all video sources can be controlled and shown on any or all screens.
It is possible to have a party mode where the same music is played throughout the property but at different levels and settings within each room. The music library is held on a music server onto which an entire music collection can be ripped from CD’s with album art being automatically downloaded off the internet. Indeed, internet radio stations can be listened to through this device. Music servers can also be configured to work with iPods where music can be transferred from the music library onto an iPod. Music contained on an iPod or another storage device can be seen as part of the music collection via a docking station without the need to download it, and can be played throughout the property as desired.
TV programmes can be watched on all display screens. Depending on the number of SKY decoders installed, different programmes can be watched in different areas as well as the same everywhere.
DVD’s loaded into the centrally located player can also be watched in all areas. Within the living room a full surround sound speaker setup has been installed within each apartment.
Audio throughout the apartments is delivered via Amina® Plaster-In-Wall loudspeakers. These are the world’s first high performance loudspeakers that are designed to be skimmed over with finishing plaster, providing a completely concealed audio solution whilst allowing the highest quality wall finish.
The heart of the Amina® Plaster-In-Wall speaker is its acoustic engine, with rare earth magnet-based high power vibration excitation drivers. This acoustic engine sets up tiny, powerful vibrations in the composite panel material, which are then transferred through the overlaid plaster; this in turn vibrates air molecules at its boundary. These then excite more air molecules further away, sending a diffuse, non-correlated energy sound wave into the room.
The vibrations recreate the diffuse source of sound energy that is emitted in a less directional manner and are capable of filling a space more evenly than a conventional cone based speaker. This diffuse source creates a high-definition sound over a very wide area, ensuring that a surround sound, or stereophonic sound field, can be heard regardless of room size, shape or listening position.
The Amina® Plaster-In-Wall speakers cope with the most dynamic sounds, recreating the clarity of individual notes produced by the classical guitar to the impressive effects generated in today’s action movies.
To increase the level of security within the apartments when they are not occupied, the control system can be programmed to simulate occupancy so lights, TV’s and sound can be made to switch on and off mimicking normal usage. This can be accessed easily by a holiday mode button on the touch panel. Furthermore, full remote access to the system is provided over the internet (See IT section).
The internal clock within the control system automatically adjusts to British Summer Time and back to GMT.
The central location for the AV system within each apartment provides a home for all of the hardware required by the system. The equipment is housed within a professional 19” rack enclosure. This is fan cooled to maintain the correct working temperature of all of the equipment. The mains supply is specifically filtered to protect against spikes and voltage fluctuations.
Alarm system
The alarm system is based around a state of the art wireless intruder detection system. Within the property there are various sensors which detect movement, glass breakage, perimeter compromisation, etc. These sensors when triggered put the alarm into an activation state, which can then perform a number of actions. These include alerting a monitoring service, phoning preset telephone numbers and playing back a prerecorded message, and sending out text messages to preset numbers.
The system includes smoke detectors, CO2 detectors, gas detectors, flood sensors and even artwork sensors.
The system is switched on and off using a key fob, as found on most modern cars, or by a numerical keypad. The numerical keypad can accept a duress code as well as a normal code. When the duress code is input, the alarm system activates silently and sends for help without alerting the intruder.
There are various settings allowed on the system including an away setting which arms the complete system, and a home setting which can arm several zones only. This enables the user to arm certain areas of the apartment at night for example when they have retired to bed.
Heating and Air Conditioning Control
Heating systems are controlled automatically once a suitable temperature has been set by the user on the touch panels. Automatic thermostats within each room then trigger the heating or cooling as required, maintaining a constant temperature. It is also possible to turn the heating or cooling on remotely over the internet prior to returning to the property.
The air conditioning system is also fitted with an air filtration system which draws air from the outside and filters it before circulating it throughout though the apartments.
Security system
Various cameras are provided at strategic locations within the apartments. These are able to record images from within the property onto a main computer centrally located in the equipment rack. Recording of cameras can be adjusted from single to multiple images, various speeds and times. All settings are software controlled on the PC. The whole camera system can be accessed remotely using an internet browser which can enable the inside of the property to be viewed remotely, when away on holiday for instance.
Lighting control
The lighting in the property is a state of the art Leax lighting system providing multiple dimmable zones and a vast range of possibilities to create the perfect mood for every occasion. The lighting system is controlled by the touch panels, by a central override push button panel, and also externally over the internet.
These preset mood settings can be recalled in each room as well as full on and full off modes controlling the entire system when you enter or leave the apartment or retire to bed via the push button switches and the touch panels. This full on and full off mode also controls the A/V system and the TVs.
PIR sensors are provided in communal areas to activate lights automatically when you come home or walk along a corridor, negating the need for light switches. All of the lighting is timed and therefore will switch off when not required thus fulfilling any environmental prerequisites.
Door Entry
The door entry system works via the installed touch panel in the hallway. Images from the front door camera can be seen on this panel when the front door button for the property is depressed. An audible chime is heard throughout the property, emitted by the touch panels which wake up from a standby state. It is then possible to speak to the visitor via the inbuilt microphone and loudspeaker within the touch panel. It is also then possible to release the front door lock using the touch panel. The system then resets itself, ready for the next activation.
IT system
Full wireless connectivity is provided within the property, as well as remote access to all the IP linked systems within. Using an internet browser from an external location (anywhere in the world), it is possible to access and control systems such as the lighting, security cameras, and more importantly the actual touch panels. These are seen as they appear to the user within the property, on a browser page, and all functions available on the touch panels can be thus controlled.
Literally every aspect of the system that can be controlled from the touch panel within the property can be controlled over the internet. This system will also allow for the integration of IP telephony if and when required by the owners.
Other functionality
Heated mirrors in the bathrooms are provided to reduce the incidence of condensation in all conditions. Under floor heating is provided in the bathrooms and kitchens to add to the comfort of the owners.
The Concierge’s office can be called via the door entry touch panel from every apartment. Each property occupier can view who is in the lift via a video link on the door entry touch panel.
The heart of the system is a control processor that is upgradeable and hence future proof to a very large degree. This system has modules available to control almost all electrical devices.
There are no other systems available that offer greater functionality, future proofing and have so few limitations.
Finally, once you have purchased your apartment, we will arrange for the touch panels controlling the entire system to be programmed to meet your exact requirements once you move in.
