Wellness At Home
Smart home technology can make your house a safer, healthier place to live. With nearly two years into the Covid-19 Pandemic, the need for a smarter home, and a healthier one, has become more important than ever.
We spend about 90% of our time indoors, where we are physically and mentally challenged by the carcinogens and other pollutants we track indoors. This mental and physical strain is a result of a growing disconnect from the natural world. Why then, would we not prioritize health and wellness by investing in technology that mimics natural processes, producing cleaner air, purified water, optimized sleep, and improving moods while at home? Whether it's in the form of human-centric lighting (HCL), indoor air quality (IAQ), motorized shading, soundscaping, or sleep tech, we believe that an integrated home should be all-encompassing. A smarter, healthier home is what we want for our clients.
Pure365 is one wellness company that has developed an integrated system of hardware and software that both filters and tracks indoor air and water quality. We think this is especially helpful because it offers an easy and interactive way to track the condition of the air you breathe and the water you drink. Filtration of both air and water is clinically proven to improve overall wellness.
Another way to improve daily wellness is by investing in automated lighting and shade control. Through Lutron, and sister company Ketra, we can design systems that will adjust and balance the lighting in your home automatically - day and night - based on your specific preferences. An integrated shades system can be programmed to open and close at sunrise and sunset, allowing for natural light to be used as much as possible. As the daylight succeeds, the lights throughout the home will adjust to match the natural lighting from the outdoors.
Integration of these technologies can be handled by a control system like Control 4. This system enables the user to monitor and adjust multitudes of tech systems throughout the home, on a single dashboard. You will even be able to access your home system from outside your residence with the app on your smart phone.
Many of these wellness-centered smart technologies are based on the science and theory of biophilia and biophilic design. Sarah Kathryn Clark, a recent MFA graduate from Savannah College of Art and Design, spoke with us recently about the growing field of Wellness and Biophilic Design. We discussed how important it will be now and in the future. In fact, Clark thinks the field is so important that she created a website to help practicing architects, interior designers, and home builders bring biophilic design into their projects.
Biophilia is a theory founded by EO Wilson in 1984 that states that humans have an innate need to connect with nature and other living things and systems. Biophilic Design is a practice that accepts this theory and works to address this need in the design of the built environment. It does this by creating spaces that not only include natural elements, but also mimic natural elements. Smart technologies for the home do just that. For example, Ketra lighting works to mimic natural fluctuations in light to help regulate occupants' circadian rhythm, improving alertness during the day and improving sleep during the night. Clark says it is important to incorporate nature into our built spaces to improve mental and physical health, boost economic prosperity, and foster environmental sustainability. On her website, Clark writes,“Biophilic design is a form of design that accepts humanity’s biological need to affiliate with natural systems and works to bring the natural world into the built environment. The use of biophilic design has grown astronomically in the past decade, particularly in office spaces, where biophilic design has been proven to reduce absenteeism, increase productivity, and increase staff retention.”
With COVID still at the forefront of our daily lives, we all want peace of mind and safety. We also want our lives to be as convenient and stress-free as possible. We seek wellness and calm, no matter how hectic daily life gets. We are only just now beginning to grasp the benefits that can come from smart home tech and there’s no denying that COVID has hastened the process, changing the face of the digital revolution while forcing improvements in our homes that will benefit our families long after the virus has passed.