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With the growing need to have automation and technology at your fingertips, there couldn’t have been better time than now for Polycab India, a brand that has established itself as one of the fastest growing companies in electricals, to launch HOHM. HOHM is a unique smart automation range that aims to maximize comfort, time and security, besides making the entire process of adding technology to homes seamless.
The idea of the web series being conducted to go with the launch is to offer a first-hand experience of the product, and reinforce the role played by technology and automation in design. The first edition of the fabulous series saw industry experts including Architects Sanjay Puri, Seema Puri, Sumeesh Menon and Ram Raheja, CEO of S Raheja Group on the panel along with Manoj Verma, Executive President and COO of Polycab India. The discussion revolved around how automation is the present, past and future of design and as Architect Sanjay Puri rightly said, “Technology has become a huge chunk of our lives in the recent times.”
At the panel discussion, Manoj Verma, Executive President and COO of Polycab India, said, “HOHM, as a portfolio, promises each and every designer and consumer a life elated. It has a patented and certified ios and android application and can be retrofitted to existing products too.”
And Sanjay Puri, Principal Architect of Sanjay Puri Architects, who has worked with several top developers in the country , emphasised Manoj’s thought by saying, “Life is so much easier and better now and there’s so much more time with the use of technology.” “Technology is here to stay and shape the way we live our life,” he added. Seema Puri, Principal Architect of SEZA, a leading architectural and design firm in Mumbai, chimed in about how everyone wanted exclusivity in their homes and lives. She went on to talk about the advantages of home automation focusing on the experience it creates when used in spaces that have exclusive lighting or high glazing etc. Sumessh Menon agreed adding “The change is tremendous. Twenty years ago, even luxury homes weren’t ready for automation. Automation has to be holistic, it has to have an experience, and people need to enjoy it. It’s all about being user-friendly. It is needed that we educate our clients. Rather than be an afterthought or accessory, it is very much an important part of the planning and designing process.”
Meanwhile, Ram Raheja, CEO and the third-generation promoter of the S Raheja Group, gave insights on how home automation had changed the game for developers. He said, “Automation is obviously the need of the hour. There is a substantial drop in maintenance charges with the use of automation in lobbies and common areas. The smart part of automation is when you can use it to enhance your living experience yet reduce the load on the entire development, country and the environment. When you are planning a luxury development, you need to think how to minimize touch.”
Overall, the entire panel resonated with the thought that smart automation went way beyond mere snob value. It had a very definite function and something we all needed to eventually accept and adapt to.
Following this discussion, the same topic was discussed with North India based Architects Amit Gupta, Abhigyan Neogi and Sonali Rastogi along with Nayan Raheja, CEO, Raheja Group. This panel discussion added more insights to the discussion with the focus being more on using automation to customise experiences for the client. Manoj Verma said, “Hohm is a system that allows you control over your comfort and how you derive it. This is a range which will not only be a designer’s delight but also a buyer’s delight. And all kinds of switches are adaptable to Hohm.” You can have your older systems also updated with the automation without having to change everything.
In today’s fact paced life, it is important to get multiple things done at one go. Abhigyan Neogi just emphasised on the same facts by saying, “Smart is the integration of multiple things which you can’t do at a single time. Automation is how we simplify our lives.” He very nicely stated how automation needs to be used smartly and efficiently to one’s benefit. “Do what is required according to local context.”
Automation is something that can be customised to each person’s whims and fancies and Amit Gupta couldn’t agree more. He added, “Smart technology is important for two reasons mainly, human well-being and sustainable existence. Smart automation is tailored according to each person. The aim is to use smart technology to achieve sustainability. It is more about the holistic picture. It helps in reducing energy wastage.”
While on the topic of reducing energy wastage and sustainability, Manoj Verma claimed, “We can have as high as 50% energy saving if we use automation.” Automation could be our saviour for the future.
Looking back at time, we have come a long way in regards of Smart Automation. From being completely opposed to it to eventually acknowledging and accepting it. Nayan Raheja comments, “I think people who are of a certain age bracket and aren’t averse of technology, are people who would prefer the automation. Today, technology has reached a point where people who want it will do anything to have it and the people averse won’t even budge.”
The thought totally resonates that smart automation is no more for just snob value. It has a very definite function and something we all need to eventually accept and adapt too. Sonali Bhagwati chimes in, “Home automation needs to be something that helps the lifestyle of a consumer and not just be implemented because it is trendy.”
The third leg of the discussion had big names of the South Indian architectural fraternity resonate with smart automation. Nisha Matthew Ghosh, Tilak Thomas, Farah and Dhaval, Ravindra Kumar, and Mahesh Prabhu brought forth the Bengaluru edition of the Polycab webinar series.
We have been correlating and interrelating automation to sustainability and green design, but it also has a greater purpose. Ravindra Kumar brought forth the idea by saying, ”Automation is not just about what little it can add to sustainability, but what it can do for gas detection, security purposes and the overall evaluation.”
Automation is still fairly a very new concept and it will take time to get accustomed to. Nisha Matthew Ghosh, on the same lines, stated, “Automation somehow needs to come to a space where we are aware of the local nuance and yet it isn’t lost to the alternative environment. The most successful automation will be when it becomes as natural to us as our own skin.”
Agreeing with Nisha, Manoj Verma revealed the future plans for Polycab Hohm. He added, “The next phase of automation is where the system will track likes and dislikes through AI and then whenever you enter a room it will rehash the room according to your preferences.”
Amidst the likes, preferences and comfort Mahesh Prabhu brought out the big guns with the carbon footprint topic. He pondered, “In a world where everyone is blaming developers for creating concrete jungles, our main aim is to reduce the carbon foot print.” And for a fact, the statement stands quite true.
Farah and Dhaval were quite excited with the prospect of automation and have implemented it in some of their projects. Farah shed some insight onto what actually happens in the process. She stated, “It really depends on the openness of the client to embrace the automation technology. As a lot of people understand it and the population accepts it, automation will be easier.” It really does fall upon the masses to accept and understand the concept, rather than just designers.
Tilak Thomas was quite curious to explore the depths and reaches of automation and wanted to experiment with it. He clearly mentioned, “I would like to see automation come out of basic concepts and into large scale monitoring and correlation.”
The discussion was quite an interactive one and very enlightening too. Automation is something that is very much here right now and is going to stay. Its easier to accept it and make peace with it as soon as we can. Automation used smartly will unleash different levels and layers of luxury and comfort that is still unknown of. Its better we jump on the bandwagon sooner than later.
Polycab India plans to continue this series of webinars, so stay tuned.
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