Lee Westwood is one of the only golfers in the world to have won tournaments in five different continents. He’s a PGA Tour icon and a Ryder Cup mainstay. But when he’s off the course and in relaxation mode, he enjoys kicking back, putting a movie on and listening to music. When designing his new smart home with that in mind, Westwood hired local technology integrator Graeme Henderson from Hidden Home Cinema to build a modern, no-fuss entertainment system for him to enjoy.
“The initial specification of the project was to simply install a television and some speakers into the cinema room, but over a period of a few months, we began adding in other audio and video solutions to heighten the experience,” says Henderson. “As the scope grew, I knew that a control system would help to seamlessly integrate all of the technology into one easy app.”
Henderson chose an Elan home control and entertainment system and, with technical assistance from Indigo Distribution, found the process intuitive and straightforward.
Entertainment and Control Is Hole-in-One
Henderson installed an Elan gSC2 System Controller accessible through eight Elan HR200 Remotes and the Elan Mobile app on Westwood’s personal Apple iPad. This way, he is able to use the app to access the system from anywhere in the world.
“There are two zones of audio, one in the kitchen and the other in the cinema room, which is outfitted with a Surround Sound 7.1 system,” says Henderson. “Lee was looking for a simple yet sophisticated audio system that would integrate with popular streaming services like Spotify and Pandora. That’s precisely what we were able to deliver. Now, he can play any song from any streaming service instantly.”
The home’s video system is controlled by an 8×8 matrix with 4K functionality, which enabled the addition of a 4K satellite receiver, a 4K Blu-ray Disc player, and an XBOX.
“We installed five satellite receivers to distribute 4K content to eight new televisions throughout the residence,” says Henderson. “Lee can change the channels on any television from a single remote or the smartphone in his pocket. It’s as easy as can be.”
Since Westwood travels frequently, Henderson integrated a sophisticated, remotely-accessible CCTV security system, with eight IP cameras that have a 4TB NAS drive for recording. The security system is integrated into Elan so that Westwood can check footage from anywhere in the world on the Elan app.
Inside the Design and Installation Process
Throughout the integration process, the integration team worked diligently with Dickinsons Commercial interior design firm to seamlessly blend the technology with the residence’s contemporary interior.
“It was a pleasure to work with Henderson and his team to make Lee’s home a success,” says Rachel McCluskey, senior interior designer at Dickinsons Commercial.
“Sometimes working to accommodate technology elements in the space could be intimidating, but we were put at ease once Graeme showed us how sleek the Elan system is and how it helps to consolidate all of Lee’s media into one means of control,” she adds.
Henderson was commissioned to install a “future-proofed wiring infrastructure,” and as the scope of the job changed throughout the build process, the wiring then became relevant for the backbone of the Elan system.
According to Indigo Distribution managing director Matthew Booth, Westwood is very pleased with the system, and has been surprised by how easy-to-use the Elan interface really is.
“Lee is really satisfied with the entertainment system in his new home,” he said, “The great thing about this system is that it’s always expandable. If he ever wants to add climate, irrigation or security control, he can do so easily.”
Simon Spears, Director of International Sales for Elan added – “Indigo’s training and technical support team make it easy for their dealers to switch customers from other, less intuitive, smart home systems to the award-winning Elan system; Kudos to Henderson, Matt and their teams. It was a ‘hole-in-one’.”
