Page 44 - Green Builder July-August 2018 Issue
P. 44
Turns out, it is. Anticipating this trend, the creators of Kasita are
focused as much on creating a rich and positive user experience as
on ooring nishes and closet storage. They have partnered with
Loxone to oer the company’s integrated smart home technology
with every Kasita. Users can control lighting, locks, entertainment,
climate and more through the intuitive Loxone Smart Home App, or
they can let the home cruise on autopilot. Meanwhile, the system
SPACE SAVERS will continuously learn occupants’ patterns, rening schedules and
According to Wilson, another settings in response.
trick to small spaces is keep- Kasita’s tech team is also working on a platform that allows users
ing lines clean and posses- to take their settings with them—whether to a new Kasita, a hotel
sions out of sight. room or other space. After all, it’s what we do within those walls that
To solve the problem of makes a building a home.
storage, Kasita doubles down. “I see Kasita as a vessel of permission to downsize,” says Wilson.
The short stair leading up to “Leave a light footprint and see how much richer your life can be.”
the kitchen pulls out to reveal Look for our next installment of The Align Project, where we’ll
a deep drawer, which can look at how to align your nances by investing in resilience. GB
also be accessed via a hatch
next to the kitchen. A closet
next to the kitchen houses
a stacked washer and dryer
pair and a couple of shelves.
Two closets ank the Cube,
for a total of 36 inches of
hanging closet; the bench
dividing this space from the
CREDIT: KASITA living room also functions as
storage.
Double duty. The stairs leading up to Kasita’s The kitchen includes a full
kitchen pull out to reveal a divided drawer. suite of appliances, including PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDERSEN WINDOWS
an induction cooktop, micro-
wave and convection oven, range hood and refrigerator/freezer. And
at 52 square feet, the bathroom isn’t short-changed, either. Here you’ll
nd one of the most eye-catching space savers in the demonstration
home: the Viega carrier, which takes the place of a traditional two-
piece toilet. The tank is elevated and housed in the wall cavity and Made to Order
can be accessed through the ush plate; the seat xture attaches to
the carrier through the wall. Not only does this save space and make
cleaning a lot easier (no more working around those gasket covers!), HE ESERIES FROM ANDERSEN WINDOWS is a versatile, Energy
the design takes advantage of gravity, making reliable performance Star-certified line of windows and doors that is appropriate for
possible with very small volumes of water and pressures down to residential and commercial applications. The nearly limitless
5 psi. The dual-ush Eco Plus WC Carrier featured in The Align T options for customization and suite of tools available to building
Project uses 0.7 and 1.9 gallons per ush. professionals makes Andersen a good partner, especially for projects with
“These carriers are very prevalent in Europe,” says Tim Schmidt, special considerations.
product manager of Flushing and Drainage Technology for Viega. The E-Series windows pictured here were carefully designed to replicate the
He adds that although the technology is mostly conned to public original windows in the Watchcase Factory, an historic building built in 1881 in
facilities in the U.S., “it’s coming.” Sag Harbor, N.Y. Guided by archival photos, designers carefully selected the
profiles and divided lights and exterior colors to match the original windows,
THE STUFF OF EXPERIENCE which had been built on site. The factory has been fully renovated and now
As the world gets more connected, you’ll see more emphasis on serves as luxury condominiums. The new E-Series windows preserve the
the user experience and less on the actual stu being sold. This is historic character while enhancing energy efficiency.
happening with brick-and-mortar retailers as they compete for real
rather than virtual customers, and among manufacturers as they
increasingly turn to the “product-as-a-service” model. So why should
this not also happen in our homes?
42 GREEN BUILDER July/August 2018 www.greenbuildermedia.com
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