Original article can be found at: http://www.technologyintegrator.net/longform/pacific-luxury/
Connected Design consistently brings its readers projects connected by stellar design. Both technologically and visually, these dwellings improve the homeowner’s quality of life.
Pat Mulligan and his team at Pacific Audio & Communications (PAC) recently completed a major project on the island of Kauai in Hawaii.
Explained Pat, “We finished this residence in spring 2016. It was a 2-year project on a large property on the north shore of Kauai that has two homes on the property. What was really unique was both homes needing fiber optic connections between them. The client wanted the houses to be separate but also have the ability to control both locations using Crestron touch panels and iPads for remote management. So the network side of the system was pretty intense.”
Pat and his team have four offices in the Hawaiian Islands, and each island is different in the way things get designed and put together depending on what part of the island the home is being built. They have to take into account the differences in the islands they are designing for, what the client’s needs are and the location of the home on said island. If they are closer to the beach or more inland will decide on what and how the outdoor space gets its AV engineered.
No man is an island, and no job is completed without the help of other talented design and build professionals. Commented Pat, “Don Thornberg was the manager for the construction company that built this residence.
“The projector housing is very unique. We worked with Don and his cabinetmakers to make the projector housing work with the interior so it would blend in with the wood fascia. We had to make sure we had plenty of air circulation so the projector would stay cool during times of use while in the cabinet all while keeping the cabinet as hole-free as possible and low noise levels. A true example of design and functionality to meet the homeowner’s expectations.”
Not surprisingly, much of the design work for a Home Technology professional based in Hawaii is made up of security and exterior lighting. About 80% of Pat’s business includes such installation expertise.
“Security and exterior lighting are a big part of our market,” Pat said. “The Hawaiian environment lends itself to exterior lighting, and it can really enhance the exterior of a property and its grounds. The Hawaii market is all about outdoors so everything out here is done in a bigger scope for outdoor living and entertaining. We always have to be worried about the salt air here; salt kills everything, I don’t care if it’s spec’d to be the best outdoor product no matter what it is, the salt kills everything.”
“So we are very picky when it comes to outdoor AV and locations. Some areas of the island get more wind, which brings more salt air, so we have to help design the systems around those elements,” he added.
“Architects and designers are embracing outdoor technology, and we have been asked to do some crazy outdoor AV systems and have to remind designers and clients about the salt and wind patterns when dealing with say special theater or AV wants outside. Most of the build trades that work and live here in Hawaii know about these conditions so we all can walk onto a project pretty much knowing what the limitations might be for outdoor AV. It becomes a factor more when we have AIA or ASID professionals coming from outside of Hawaii that doesn’t normally deal with these weather and salt elements like we do day in and day out. So we have to educate them on these conditions. For the most part, our relationships with the AIA and ASID communities have been great. Plus I am a CEDIA Outreach Instructor (COI), so we do yearly new product training for those industries which keeps them in the loop for the most part here in Hawaii.”
–Pat Mulligan
Concluded Pat, “We loved working on this project, and it was great that we had a location on Kauai where we could help these clients out. Once it was all said and done, they have been very happy with the outcome and are actually talking about adding some new power and UPS systems to both homes. We are currently working on a proposal to upgrade the property power to a full Rosewater Energy Group System. Their main need was to be able to have access control between both locations and working together we accomplished that and so much more.”