Futuristic-style units to become available with system that improves occupants’ health
A series of new apartments are set to be introduced with an automated system that will help occupants sleep better, breathe easier and solve common problems inside urban homes.
Forget exercise gimmicks or fad diets — Sydney residents can boost their wellbeing just by spending time in adjusted conditions at home, a New York-based technology company claims.
Wellness and real estate company Delos has developed a system that calibrates the home environment to support occupants’ health through air filtration, water purification and circadian lighting.
The system known as Darwin is the result of about $100 million in research with doctors, architects and the Mayo Clinic over nearly five years. It is set to be introduced to Sydney properties through a partnership with developer Lateral Estate.
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Lateral will introduce the technologies into multi-residential projects, starting with Blakehurst unit development Parc. It will continue to be considered for all future Lateral developments as standard.
This follows Delos’ launch of its wellbeing system in Melbourne last year through a partnership with builder Simonds Homes. Simonds set a target of installing the system in up to 1000 homes by September.
Delos chief executive Paul Scialla said the Darwin system was developed as a response to our shift to indoor living.
The average person living in an urban environment spends roughly 90 per cent of their time indoors and their environment can have a profound effect on their health, he said.
With research from the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention revealing 70 per cent of a person’s health was driven by their physical environment, the aim of Darwin was to address unseen health detriments common in homes, Mr Scialla said.
These problems included poor air and water quality and interior lighting that disrupts natural sleeping patterns.
“We were able to identify a clear ‘missing link’ in the evolution of the modern home,” Mr Scialla said.
“Many innovations had been delivered in the ‘smart home’ or ‘green home’ category, very little had been done to truly innovate in the ‘healthy home’ space.
“Delos was born out of the idea that we can improve our physical, emotional and mental wellbeing through our indoor environment.”
Darwin is an integrated system. Air, water, light and a sleep program work together to enhance living conditions.
A mix of carbon and MERV8 filters remove unwanted extras from the air and water. The air filters team with sensors which monitor pollutant spikes in the home. Poor air quality or even a bad smell will activate the home’s heating ventilation and airconditioning systems.
An exterior air quality monitor also allows users to check what’s happening outside with a smartphone.
Filtered water is delivered from every tap and showerhead.
Lighting automatically adjusts to energise or relax occupants, depending on the time of day. The lights are bright in the early morning and are brought down automatically to the warmer red spectrum as the sun sets. The aim is to replicate the natural changes of the sun throughout the day and better stimulate our bodies’ natural circadian rhythms.
The network monitors and adjusts the indoor environment without intervention by the homeowner.
Lateral Estate CEO Tony Johnson said incorporating Darwin technology into homes was a way to meet increased demand for healthy homes.
“We wanted to offer buyers a complete wellness experience — from the health amenities we’ve included, to the sense of wellbeing each apartment promotes.”
Originally published as Futuristic-style units to become available with system that improves occupants’ health