Miami South Beach Villa Meshes Design and Technology

Situated just off the coast of Miami’s South Beach is Star Island, a stretch of land that is home to some of the brightest stars from the worlds of sports and entertainment – Sean “Diddy” Combs, Shaquille O’Neal, and Gloria Estefan, to name a few. At the heart of the island sits its crown jewel: a newly built, 25,000-square-foot waterfront Mediterranean villa that boasts vaulted ceilings, voluminous domes, gazebos, fountains, a dual-winged grand staircase, and at its center, a two-story piazza courtyard lined with Roman columns and loggias.

The X-Factor

Despite the villa’s many architectural triumphs, John Forte, founder and president of Forte Properties, says his home’s ultimate X-Factor is its sophisticated smart home infrastructure completely controlled by an ELAN Entertainment and Control System that is seamlessly and invisibly woven through every thread of the palatial villa.

“Owners of high-end luxury estates such as the Forte’s Star Island villa expect their home to be outfitted with next-generation technology that is easy-to-use and fully functional, but virtually invisible to the eye,” says Raul Gonzalez, president of technology integration firm R&M Systems Group. “That’s precisely what we delivered: a sophisticated network of cutting-edge, interconnected A/V, security, climate, lighting, and pool/ spa subsystems, united and managed with a seamlessly integrated ELAN control system.”

Blending Architecture and Automation

The primary objective, according to Forte, was to have a control system that covered the entire 25,000-square-foot villa without jeopardizing the home’s architectural and design aesthetic. “I need to be able to control the villa’s audio, video, lighting, climate and security system from anywhere in the home,” Forte emphasized. “And I want to do so without sacrificing the classic beauty of the home’s architecture with clunky technology.”

Luckily, no sacrifice was required – just a bit of savvy design work from Gonzalez and a next-generation control system from ELAN. “To build the villa’s ‘brain,’ we integrated over sixty-five separate ELAN components including seven Systems Controllers, seven Integrated Multi-Room Audio Amplifiers/Controllers, two Communications Controllers, 12 handheld remotes, and 26 in-wall touch panels,” says Gonzalez. “By doing so, we delivered Mr. Forte, his family and guests a highly-intuitive, unified ELAN system that controls all connected technology throughout his sprawling property.”

To successfully integrate A/V technology throughout the home without infringing on its architectural integrity, Gonzales collaborated closely with the project’s interior designer, Perla Lichi, ASID, of Perla Lichi Design Luxury.

“In a residence of this caliber, technology should be experienced to the fullest, but not necessarily noticed,” explains Lichi. “One must hear music, without seeing speakers; know a television is available, without seeing a black box hanging from the wall. This is the challenge we face regularly, and it’s a challenge that we conquered with this home.”

Disappearing Speakers

To make the villa’s 112 Niles in-ceiling speakers disappear from sight, many were embedded in the ceiling’s hand painted Venetian frescoes or wood-panels and painted flush, by the artist himself to perfectly match their surroundings. Additionally, components of the family room, bar, and master suite’s surround sound system, including Sunfire subwoofers and amps, sit behind Moroccan filigree, or perforated screens, hiding the technology without inhibiting the audio performance.

Epitomizing the villa’s convergence of state-of-the-art technology with masterful design is a $500,000 ELAN-controlled home theater, outfitted with nearly a dozen cinema-quality in-wall speakers and subwoofers that are virtually invisible to the eye.

And that’s just the interior. In the piazza courtyard, roof deck and outdoor pool area, speakers and subwoofers are tucked within bushes and fixed in tree canopies, creating the effect of an invisible sound system that blends naturally with its surroundings.

Ample Home Protection

Beyond entertainment, ELAN allows Forte to manage a sophisticated security system comprised of hi-res dome cameras, photoelectric smoke detectors, mechanical heat detectors, and professional-grade sirens with stainless steel enclosures. “From anywhere in the world, Mr. Forte can view real-time footage of his property on his ELAN app,” notes Gonzalez. “He can turn cameras on and off, control the laser grid that protects his boats, dock and surrounding property, and if suspicious activity is detected, he’s immediately notified via the ELAN app.”

Abundance  of Smart Gear

In addition to the security system, the roughly 38 rooms of the property boast an A/V system that includes 112 Niles in-ceiling speakers; 10 Sunfire subwoofers and amplifiers; 23 televisions, ranging from 55” to 70”; 10 surround sound systems, including a cinema-quality home theater equipped with a TheatreScope Classic projector, from Digital Projection, a 133” CineCurve screen, from Stewart Filmscreen, a power filtration and conditioning system from Furman, and a sophisticated Panamax power management system with BlueBOLT remote energy management to protect the home’s tech infrastructure from electrical storms common to the Miami area.

“A sophisticated ‘smart home’ is hidden within every crevice of a 15th-century Mediterranean Villa,” continues Forte. “That’s the effect Raul and Perla created through their perfect blend of technology and design and that’s what makes this home magnificent.”

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