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The Evolution
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The Evolution of the American Home
Our homes are experiencing growing pains. During the next decade, manufacturers will embed intelligence in everything from stoves to stereos, in ways that are just starting to take shape. At the same time, some things about the home will stay the same. Many people crave the benefits of new technologies, but they want those technologies to blend seamlessly into a traditional design that feels like -- well, home. See Construction Photos
It's from this tension between progress and permanence that the 2004 NextGen Demonstration Home takes its theme: The Evolution of the American Home – specifically, the evolution of the technologies that go into the home. Although this evolution is far from complete, it has made great strides in the last few years, and NextGen aims to demonstrate where it has brought us today.
This 2300 square-foot structure's message is that new products and building methods can make life safer, more comfortable, and more enjoyable. And they can deliver those benefits without stretching the budget. They do this by working together. That's because the NextGen home is more than a product showcase. True, its walls enclose some of the best-known brands in building. But its real message is about the power of quality products when installed as part of a carefully planned system.
This is great news for all of us. Take today's automation systems. Being able to monitor your security cameras and turn your door alarm on and off from your bedside or your office can make you feel safer; being able to do the same with your thermostat can save you money. Using a colorful touch screen to call up music or movies from any room in the house can make you smile.
You’ll really smile knowing that the NextGen's lessons can help builders put these things within reach of the average American family. That's because electronics isn’t its only system. The house itself is another. The NextGen exemplifies how smart builders can create homes that use very little gas or electricity, provide clean air and water, and are tough enough to withstand some of nature’s worst furies. Their owners will pay less for power, water, and perhaps even insurance. That will leave cash to spend on that LCD TV or quartz countertop -- without raising the mortgage payment.
The NextGen provides all this within a flexible, open floor plan that welcomes visitors and encourages family communication. Opening the dining room, great room, breakfast area, and kitchen does more than make the home feel spacious; it makes it easy for the parent cooking dinner to talk with the teenager studying for that math exam. After all, the most important connections in a home are those between the people who live in it.
The NextGen Home will be on display in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show and the 2004 International Builders' Show in January. But you don't have to go to Las Vegas to profit from its lessons. iShow, a Bellevue, WA Internet broadcasting company, has conceived it as a true omni media project. Over the next few months, we will be adding more information about the home's products and systems. Once the home is in place, we will add videos that detail its various systems. So make sure to check back here often.
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Visit us at:
International Consumer Electronics Show
January 8-11, 2004
International Builders' Show
January 19-22, 2004
Click here to register online for a Free 4-Day Exhibits Only Pass
The NextGen04 Demonstration Home will be donated to:
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