Luxury living the WISE way

• May 06 2020
• http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business-observer-daily-biz/luxury-living-the-wise-way-developer-douglas-gourzong-delivering-smart-homes-to-jamaica_192143

Douglas Gourzong had long planned the development of a luxury residential complex with smart home features that he said would revolutionise the standard of living for Jamaican citizens.

In fact Gourzong, CEO of WISE Construction Group Ltd, is already far down the wicket, forging a partnership with JMMB Fund Managers for the construction of the resort-style development named Signature Smart Homes comprising a mix of 38 luxury apartments (named The Panorama) and townhouses (named The Grand) sitting on one acre of land in the Kingston 6 area of the capital city.

Now, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has given the project greater relevance as its automation features will basically give residents the comfort of not having to touch controls for smart switches and other essential fixtures.

“Automation can help prevent the spread of not only coronavirus but viruses on a whole,” Gourzong told the Jamaica Observer. “People should not be afraid of COVID. We're making provision to ensure to stem the spread of the virus. Risks are minimised based on the touchless and voice commands of the smart devices in each unit.”

To deliver this cutting-edge product Gourzong has teamed with Austrian company Loxone, a world leader in the development of smart homes. On its website, Loxone states that its founders “Thomas Moser and Martin Oller were motivated by the idea of a home that can take care of functions like safety, energy efficiency and comfort on its own with little need for manual control”.

Gourzong explained that his development will boast smart features, ahead of the current market offerings, including responsiveness to the unique preferences of the occupants, with a centralised user-friendly interface operated using an iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab; safety structures with real-time video intercom; fire and flood protection; energy efficiency; air quality control to include Co2 and smoke detectors.

Residents of the development, he explained, will benefit from four main features: biometric entry access, multi-media, automated blinds, and security provided by KingAlarm including its response team.