Outfitting a backyard with weather-hardy tech built to withstand an occasional rain shower is one thing; equipping the outdoor area with products purposely designed and engineered to defy the power and erosion of gale force winds, ocean waves, and sea salt is quite another.
The integration team at Future Automation & Design, based in Redondo Beach, CA, understands all too well the importance of choosing the right technology for the severity of the environmental elements.
They recently completed one of their most extensive smart home projects to date, where a combination of more than 600 Coastal Source outdoor light fixtures and speakers would need to stand up to some of the harshest conditions on the California coastline while blending in beautifully with the home’s eye-catching landscape and casting elegant illumination throughout the property.
Built in 1930, the estate is considered a historic and architectural landmark in Los Angeles County. The estate also has a rich design heritage, having been previously gifted to the landscape architect brothers that designed Palos Verdes Estates in Southern California and Central Park in New York City. Later it was inhabited by art curators and celebrities, even royalty, whose names are not mentioned to respect their privacy. Paying tribute to these iconic design influencers, it was important to the current owner that the new exterior lighting system be as visually stunning as it was durable and functional.
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“Rockslides and erosion are common along the area’s shoreline, which often necessitates frequent modifications to the construction and design of outdoor living spaces so we knew the technology solutions would need to be able to evolve and adapt easily to topography changes,” said Future Automation & Design President and CEO Patrick Coleman. “This homeowner had already made a large investment in cliffside pylons to protect the property from weather and ocean-related damage, so the outdoor speakers and lighting solutions needed to be top quality. Because Coastal Source designs and engineers its products to endure the most extreme environments, they were the obvious choice for this extensive, evolving outdoor project.”
Once the majority of the outdoor improvements were complete, Future Automation & Design quickly buttoned up the schematics and installation of Coastal Source speakers and light fixtures, automating them via a Control4 system with Josh.ai voice control. Every inch of the cliffside estate is beautifully illuminated and blanketed in rich, high-fidelity audio, courtesy of a wide range of fixture designs, including Coastal Source path lighting, uplighting, niche lighting, flush-mount lighting and bollard speakers and subwoofers.
The lighting design was so extensive that Future Automation & Design tackled it in several phases, starting with the installation of 210 fixtures in Phase 1, 228 fixtures in Phase 2, 139 fixtures in Phase 3, and finally, 50 fixtures in Phase 4. At least 50 percent of the lighting fixtures had to be retrofitted into existing hardscape, so Future Automation & Design used their retrofit expertise to achieve the best results. Coastal Source speakers were added throughout each step of the ongoing project.
The owners weren’t opposed to the number of light fixtures and speakers peppering the landscape, patios, gardens and other outdoor areas, but they were unfamiliar with Coastal Source. To demonstrate the quality, flexibility, and durability of Coastal’s lighting fixtures and speakers, Coastal Source sent its fully outfitted product van to the client’s home for an in-person preliminary experience, and the homeowners were sold.
“Having so many fixtures and placement options afforded more opportunity to apply our lighting artistry to the residence — to really accentuate the magnificent architectural features and natural beauty of the landscape,” Coleman emphasized.
Still, there was no way of getting around the natural transformation of the surrounding terrain caused by wind, waves, and salt air. Future Automation & Design relied on Coastal Source’s patented Coastal Connector cabling system to streamline the relocation and addition of fixtures and speakers to adapt and evolve easily as the terrain morphed.
“Coastal’s flexible cabling which eliminates the need to cut, splice and waterproof in the field was crucial to this integration,” Coleman said. “We didn’t need to trench conduits and the plug-and-play cabling architecture allows the system to grow and change along with the environment.”
With the Coastal Source lighting and audio systems firmly established, the owners are using their outdoor living spaces more than ever before. For parties, weddings, and other social events, the integration of Coastal Source products into their outdoor spaces has enabled them to enhance their setting with elegant lighting and music.
“The combination of our lighting expertise and Coastal Source’s wide selection of fixtures let us create an outdoor lighting and audio system that makes the outdoor area an incredible place to entertain,” Coleman added.
Also vital to the end-result is the seamless integration of Coastal Source audio and lighting with the home’s Control4 automation system and Josh.ai voice-enabled interface. The owners rarely need to interact with the outdoor lighting and audio. The lights activate automatically at sunset and simple commands spoken to a Josh.ai voice assistant handle the delivery of music and more specific lighting requests.
The addition of Coastal Source light fixtures and speakers helped breathe new life into the magnificent oceanside property. Outdoor areas are more inviting, the scenery more beautiful, and the music and illumination easier than ever to control and customize. Even Mother Nature can’t put a damper on these audible and visual outdoor enhancements, thanks to the rugged yet elegant construction of the Coastal Source products and meticulous design and installation by Future Automation & Design.
