Overlooking the Erie Canal in coveted town of Fairport, New York, Parker Street 3-5-7 spans a series of luxury condominiums. The property is a joint creation of Rochester-based Riedman construction and Digital Audio Video Environments (DAVE) and features panoramic views of the canalside while offering state-of-the-art, smart home amenities and integrations with the condos’ impressive automated shading system.

With around 30 automated shades incorporated into the complex’s lofty physique, the smart home experience is designed to compliment the chic architecture of the building. Impressive floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor living spaces accentuate 2,500 square feet of open-concept floor plans, while the automated shades create precisely lit, functional spaces at any given time.

Opting for the creative, DAVE also paired the already impressive lighting controls with fully integrated surround sound and ample opportunities for bespoke lifestyle automations.

Automated Shades and Panoramic Views Canalside

In designing the condos at Parker Street 3-5-7, the team quickly ran against a challenge common with building in long revered spaces: a need to offer the luxury of modern smart home technology that wouldn’t detract from the immediate design and scenery.

“This type of project is a sweet spot for DAVE, so we were excited to reconnect with Riedman for this build,” stated Director of Sales Eric Gosiewski. “It’s a user-first approach: We look at the solutions in the context of lifestyle simplicity and come up with the best possible solution mix to complement the build.”

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Immediately, the panoramic views of the canal presented a rich opportunity to use smart shading. Connected to a control system, the automated window treatments would go beyond simple natural lighting control to assist in creating ambience throughout the day, not to mention improving privacy, energy savings, and even daily routines with the inclusion of intelligent shading automation.

A major challenge came in the layout of the space. Each home featured metal-cabled stairways adjacent to the sweeping windows that go up and down all floors, and to accommodate proper safety measures for the staircase, additional cabling needed to be added to the outside of the staircase railings – imposing on the area where the shading was to be installed.

The Parker Street 3-5-7 units were also planned to be fitted with multiple lifestyle additions, such as personal elevators and high-end appliances. The marquee like patios would also provide panoramic views of the waterfront. DAVE planned to further compliment these features with smart home automation, surround sound, and intelligent lighting control via a Savant control system.

DAVE Gets Creative to Help Conceal Integrations at Parker Street 3-5-7

Gosiewski eventually settled on shading from the Hunter Douglas portfolio with PowerView+ Automation, reasoning the versatility and flexibility of the product would play well into the natural lighting needs of the condos and the unique wiring challenges posed by their layout and design.

The shades were easily integrated into the Savant system, while DAVE worked with the builders to hide the wires in customized window ledges that overlooked the scenic canalside neighborhoods below. The decision to do so would both save space an eliminate the concerns of building code requirements while still delivering on reliability through the hardwire connection.

The shades themselves were installed with an inside mount to save additional space and further contribute to the seamless appearance of the space, without interfering with the design of the staircase. The main living spaces at Parker Street 3-5-7 were adorned with an off-white fabric color, while a room-darkening fabric was used in the bedroom.

The automated shading was also set up to be controllable on either PowerView or Savant App, and can be programmed to operate on a personalized schedule to provide optimal privacy, light, and thermal comfort to occupants throughout the year.

Modern Luxury Meets Historic Charm Canalside

“This project opened the idea of smart shading to more prospective home buyers and helped us communicate their scalability and versatility,” shared Gosiewski.

“While they’re often perceived as a high-end investment, especially for high-stakes projects like this one, they’re actually quite achievable and customizable for any budget. We hope that as we move into more projects and continue to design shades into more lifestyles, we can challenge the idea that great natural lighting control is a luxury; it’s a necessary component of a great living space.”

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