A condominium project in DC Ranch’s Silverleaf neighborhoods is bringing many sophisticated features to the Arizona market. “Our whole vision was how to use technology to make things more comfortable, more efficient,” says Tanner Luster, president of Scottsdale-based Cypress Development Group, which is developing the $350-million Sterling at Silverleaf community.
A first of its kind on the West Coast is the Automated Robotic Valet, a secure, state-of-the-art, fully robotic parking garage valet system. The innovative system uses omnidirectional, battery-powered robots and a robotics guidance system to carry vehicles parked on self-supporting steel trays — not a rack-and-rail system — to and from storage spaces. The system includes a camera that scans the car, “to make sure you’re not leaving a kid or a pet in it,” Luster says. The driver parks the car on the tray, which is recessed into the concrete so there’s not even a bump, then a robot slides under the tray, picks it up and pulls it away — and brings it back to the homeowner at the touch of a button. Because the car stays on the tray, there are no damage or privacy issues that may come with valet drivers, Luster points out.
Each villa has an integrated automation system controlled from either of two iPads as well as handheld remotes and touch screens. This controls every element in the home, from lighting, heating and cooling, and window coverings to audio, video and wine room temperature. This also features a proprietary eco-mode app that dims the lighting in the home to 80 percent of full power levels, which Luster notes is a visually imperceptible difference but saves 20 percent on the energy bill. Recognized for sustainable building techniques and features overall, the project is LEED-certified at the gold level by the U.S. Green Building Council and the National Association of Homebuilders.
