How Smart Do Todays Houses Really Need to Be?
Over the past year, waiting with trepidation for the Home of the Future that was to be imminent exactly at the turn of the century and would change home life forever, I’ve posed this question to informed designers who’ve thought through possible answers. The consensus: it’s alarmist to think that smart houses will have too much control over our daily routines. In fact, one development trend enables each ‘smart’ appliance to be turned on and off, as needed. No, the Haagen Daas container won’t always make rude remarks when you dip into it, again. Whew. According to health care equipment designer Steve Kaufman, it’s true that many fear a ‘Big Brother’ presence in our living rooms and kitchens, but “I like to think of this, for healthcare purposes and needs, as a Big Brother who is helping not watching.” And, as Bob Ornstein, director of a smart housing project near Portland, OR, that now has residents, notes: “Immediate and focused response mechanisms are critical mainstays of any elder l
