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Technology takes hold in cyber dream homeModel combines high-tech, environment-friendly living
(CNN) -- High-density living in Hong Kong will never be the same if a new model home of the future takes hold, a home where technology and the environment go hand in hand. Housing in Hong Kong is notorious for being badly planned and oblivious to environmental concerns. Now the Integer Group -- a gathering of British architects, IT specialists and environmentalists -- hopes to change all that with a cyber dream home to show the way to tomorrow's housing. The entire space is wired so everything is virtually at your fingertips. "You can control your temperature of the flat, you can control lighting," said Donald Hughes with the Hong Kong Housing Society.
"If you have a party, and want to control your music sound, you would basically be able to press [a few central] switches instead of walking around the whole flat." In this high-tech home, even the taps take commands, with different controls for different amounts of water, so water consumption is cut by 40 percent. The Internet fridge stores recipes and makes up a shopping list as you run out of food. Even the window shades have smart technology. "We have these louvers, which will come down automatically as the sun comes around into your building," Hughes said.
Need extra room? No need to look for a new place. The walls of this cyber home are able to be dismantled and installed in different areas of the residence. "They can come down within half a day, and they can be done by a simple handyman," Hughes said. "A partition can be moved to make a living room smaller or perhaps making a separate dining room or a separate study for the children as they're growing up." And since intelligent homes like this can be constructed 15 percent faster than normal buildings, while generating 30 percent less waste, you can always go green without skipping on the gizmos. ![]() |
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