Black House in Gliwice is the only building of this type in the world. This is what it “can do”
Smart mirrors check the condition of the skin, health sensors detect signs of impending disease. Alarm clocks set themselves because they check the calendar and know when you need to get to work sooner. Smart refrigerators will suggest a diet if they notice that you reach for sweet snacks and carbonated drinks too often. More and more homes are now smart, and new devices appear on the market that make life easier. Almost all of them can be found and tested in Poland, in Black House, the only office building of this type in the world.
– Black House is a building that adapts all technologies available on the market. In this building, they are launched, tested and a recommendation is made to the world whether it is worth investing in a given technology. This is a strictly technological building, here we will find Internet of Things solutions that we find in A-class office buildings, in modern hotels, but also in modern residences and apartments – emphasizes Artur Pollak, president of the management board of APA Group, of which Black House is a company, in an interview with the Newseria Innowacje agency. headquarters.
Intelligent cameras scan the environment around the house and respond to potential threats, iris scanning systems let people into the house, and sensors inside the room check the air condition and decide to open or close the windows. But this is only the beginning. Swedish research firm Berg Insight says that by 2022, 63 million American homes will qualify as “smart.” Within 10 years, according to experts, we will be completely immersed in the world of the Internet of Things.
IoT company Crestron is working on software that tracks a person’s habits – what music they want to hear in the morning or what lights they want to turn on at a certain time of day. Then, once it understands your preferences, it automatically plays the appropriate playlists or dims the lights before bed. Ori Living, a robotic furniture company, is working with Ikea on pieces that change based on need, moving the bed out when a desk is needed or hiding the wardrobe when it’s lunchtime.
You can check whether these and other latest solutions actually work at the APA Group headquarters in Gliwice. Black House is a building that is supposed to recognize its guests and show the practical dimension of technology.
– At the investment stage, at the technology selection stage, we should already know how we want to use a given facility and take advantage of its special features. Therefore, here we show an environment that is integrated with each other, everyone can come here, touch, see whether this technology helps in life or even harms someone. Because conscious decision-making means that we first need to know what we want to exclude from our environment – explains Artur Pollak.
Even before entering the Black House, you can feel the modern dimension of technology. The colors of the flower pots outside the building can be changed freely, matching the color to the taste or requirements of the guests. The mat that visitors pass through displays a personalized welcome message, and right after entering the modern reception area, the smile recognition system will select a welcome message or music to match the guests’ mood. A ground heat exchanger is placed under the green area. A heat recovery system is placed under the stairs, and a heating mat is placed on the stairs to avoid slipping. Thanks to information from soil sensors, a connected weather station and weather forecast servers, the house automatically takes care of the greenery around it. In turn, outdoor lighting can be adjusted to the time of day and night, as well as the intensity of sunlight. The light can also be used as a threat signal.
However, this is only part of the technology packed into the building.
– We closely monitor the trends and directions of development of modern construction. On the roof, we have, for example, a bee hive, where we examine the condition of the bee family and how bees function in nature. We have a modern greenhouse where a robot grows plants and then specially dispenses water while removing weeds. Therefore, these are such different technologies that may not be for everyone, but can be partially used by everyone – argues Artur Pollak.
Some of the solutions are those that have just been created in the world, others are already used in homes, and still others are novelties developed in Poland.
– I believe that Poland can be a second Silicon Valley. We have intellectual and technological potential, so we arrange this technology into solutions that may not be seen anywhere in the world, they are not a typical approach. This is the so-called customer-oriented approach, focused on his needs and problems – emphasizes Artur Pollak.
