As the over-65 population continues to grow, the senior living industry is under increasing pressure to raise the bar on amenities, hospitality, and quality of life. Riverstone Living, a pioneering real estate developer in the UK, has made it their mission to transform the retirement living experience through exceptional design, service, and the strategic integration of advanced smart home technology.

For their flagship Riverstone Fulham development in London, Riverstone partnered with leading AV integration firm Prestige Audio to design and implement a comprehensive, state-of-the-art control and automation system that would elevate every aspect of the resident experience. The goal was to create a seamless, intuitive interface that would enable staff, many of whom may be new to the property, to effortlessly manage all the building’s complex systems.

The Riverstone client noted that as the residents can be mobility and sensory impaired, digital interfaces common in control systems can be challenging. Thus, it was imperative to design a system that worked for both the staff and the residents. In particular, the customer-facing interface needed to be exceptionally intuitive and easy to operate.

Prestige Audio’s solution centered around the RTI control and automation platform. The sprawling Riverstone Fulham development includes over twenty rooms in the communal areas, including a 20-seat cinema, restaurants, espresso bar, golf simulator, gym, spa, cryotherapy suite, and more—with each requiring sophisticated AV, lighting, and environmental controls.

“Given the high turnover in the hospitality industry, a major challenge is designing the automation system so that any staff member can control everything and achieve the desired results with minimal training,” explained Joe Carri, Director at Prestige Audio. “So, this system had to be easy for new employees to operate without sacrificing any of the system power.”

To meet this requirement, the Prestige Audio team developed a completely bespoke graphical user interface (GUI) using RTI Integration Designer software. “There was some doubt that we would be able to deliver the level of simplicity the client needed,” said Joe. “But the final interface is incredibly intuitive yet powerful, allowing full control of all the AV, lighting, and other building systems with just a few taps on the touchpanel.”

Another significant challenge was integrating Riverstone’s preferred music streaming service, Soundtrack Your Brand. Initially, it appeared incompatible with the RTI control system, but Prestige Audio’s engineers rose to the occasion, creating a custom browser-based solution to seamlessly bridge the two systems.

The crown jewel of the Riverstone Fulham project is the 20-seat Dolby Atmos home cinema—one of the most sophisticated private cinema installations Prestige Audio has ever completed. Beyond its audiophile-grade performance, the cinema also features specialized accessibility features to assist hearing-impaired residents, allowing access to a separate audio track that enhances dialog clarity. As evidence of its achievements, the project was runner-up for the best cinema worldwide in the 2023 International Design and Architecture Awards, as well as the best cinema in the UK 2023 at The Smart Buildings Awards.

Beyond the cinema, the entire Riverstone Fulham common area is outfitted with high-performance AV experiences designed to delight the “Baby Boomer” generation that makes up most residents. The system also provides ample capacity for future expansion, allowing Riverstone to easily add new AV and smart home capabilities as their needs evolve.

“Prestige Audio has worked closely with us, in many ways as an integral part of our business, from inception through to final commissioning, handover, and beyond,” the Riverstone client concluded. With the Riverstone Fulham project now complete, the client is thrilled with the results. The project showcases how advanced control and AV technology can be seamlessly woven into luxury senior living, elevating the resident experience and setting a new standard for the industry.

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