Stage 6 Student Selected Investigation by Marios Kypridemos

SMART HOMES IN HOUSING ARCHITECTURE THE HOUSING DESIGN TRENDS OF THE 21ST CENTURY IN CYPRUS

Marios Kypridemos

Marios Kypridemos | 17033400 Student Selected Investigation | KA7013 Northumbria University 2018-2019

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The traditional home of the past from that moment on has turned into a hybrid dwelling that combines traditional building materials and architectural elements with modern technologies. So-called smart homes are an extrapolation of modern technologies entering the home environment.â&#x20AC;? Van Hoof, Demiris and Wouters, 2017

Title:

Smart homes in housing architecture: The housing design trends of the 21st century in Cyprus

Author:

Marios Kypridemos

Supervising tutor:

Dr. Alice Vialard

Date:

02 January 2019

Word count:

9220

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to thank and express my appreciation to my supervisor Dr. Alice Vialard, for her valuable help and direction throughout the entire research process. She was always willing to discuss various research topics and give guidance in the right direction. Many thanks should also go to all of the surveyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s participants who spent some of their time answering the survey and thus contributing significantly to the completion of this research. Finally, many thanks go to my family for their continuous encouragement and support during the research process.

ABSTRACT The smart home is a residence which incorporates appliances or features that interact and exchange information with its users to provide them with the various benefits including better quality of life, comfort, automation, safety and energy efficiency. Smart homes have already started to be tested or implemented in housing architecture and will constitute a big part of the future housing, as an extensive interest and research is undergoing on this domain worldwide. The first phase of the research seeks to provide the appropriate and up to date information about smart homes, to introduce and present this innovative technological idea to the readers. It begins by presenting various definitions of smart home and subsequently explaining how smart home technologies work, giving examples of existing smart home systems. Then, the research highlights the penetration of smart homes into our lives by presenting their evolution up to date. Also, through the research six main smart home benefits were identified and are presented in detail. However, smart homes have several challenges to be considered and are also presented in this research. The fact that smart homes are gradually entering our lives means that many people will start to build or convert their homes into smart homes in the near future, based on their personal needs. Therefore, the second phase of the research sought to investigate the introduction and role of smart homes in Cyprus during the upcoming decades through the use of an online survey which was completed by several Cypriot residents, expressing their views about different aspects of smart homes. The purpose of the survey was to identify and analyse the preferences of the participants regarding the design trends of smart homes of the 21st century in Cyprus. Also, a comparison takes place between the surveyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s results and the RIBA future housing design trends of 2015, in order to identify the differentiation in housing preferences between two different cultures (Cyprus and Britain). In conclusion, the research presents the main findings and the outcome of the survey which is how the future smart homes in Cyprus will look like. It also presents conclusions about the introduction of smart homes in Cyprus and the implications for architecture, with the hope that this significant technological advancement will be used efficiently by the residents and architects in Cyprus, and be implemented in housing architecture as best as possible. Lastly, some future considerations are identified as well.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1

Introduction Research Motivation ................................................................................................. 14 Research Purpose and Structure ................................................................................ 14 Research Question ..................................................................................................... 15 Research Aims and Objectives .................................................................................. 15

Literature Review Overview of Existing Research ................................................................................. 18 Terminologies of Smart Home .................................................................................. 18 Smart Home Technologies and Architecture ............................................................ 19 The Penetration and Evolution of Smart Homes ....................................................... 24 Smart Home Benefits ................................................................................................ 26 2.5.1

Benefit 1: Energy Efficiency/Money Saving ..................................................... 26

2.5.2

Benefit 2: Environmentally Friendly ................................................................. 27

2.5.3

Benefit 3: Comfort/Entertainment ..................................................................... 27

2.5.4

Benefit 4: Home Automation ............................................................................. 28

2.5.5

Benefit 5: Safety and Security ........................................................................... 28

2.5.6

Benefit 6: Better Quality of Life/Well-Being .................................................... 29

Smart Home Challenges ............................................................................................ 31 Existing Smart Home Research in Cyprus ................................................................ 32 The Gap in Smart Home Knowledge ........................................................................ 32 3

Methodology Research Methods and Process ................................................................................. 36 The Survey ................................................................................................................ 38 3.2.1

Survey Questions and Expected Outcomes ....................................................... 39

Findings, Analysis and Discussion Survey Findings and Analysis ................................................................................... 42 4.1.1

Profile of the Participants................................................................................... 42

4.1.2

Preferable Living Area and Type of Home ........................................................ 44

4.1.3

Smart Home Benefits, Challenges and Technologies ........................................ 46

4.1.4

Cyprus Housing Design Trends ......................................................................... 50

4.1.5

Smart Home Rate of Interest.............................................................................. 54

Comparison Between Cypriot and British Future Housing Design Trends .............. 58

Conclusion Process and Main Findings of the Research.............................................................. 62 The Future Smart House in Cyprus ........................................................................... 63 Implications for Architecture and the Role of Architects ......................................... 66 Future Considerations ............................................................................................... 67

References Bibliography .............................................................................................................. 70 Journals/Articles ........................................................................................................ 71 Websites .................................................................................................................... 72 Videos........................................................................................................................ 74

Appendices Survey â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Smart Homes in Cyprus ............................................................................. 78 Survey Results â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Smart Homes in Cyprus ................................................................ 84 Ethical Approval ..................................................................................................... 101

LIST OF FIGURES 1. Introduction Figure 01: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Diagram depicting the initial stages of the research. 2. Literature Review Figure 02: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Smart home definitions and descriptions throughout the years. Figure 03: Augusto, J. and Nugent, C. (2006). Designing Smart Homes: The role of artificial intelligence. Springer. p.4. Figure 04: Ion, F. (2018). Smart home screen where you can view and manage all collected data. Available at: https://www.engadget.com/2018/04/09/do-i-need-a- smarthome-hub/?guccounter=1 [Accessed 24 Dec. 2018]. Figure 05: GhaffarianHoseini, A., Dahlan, N., Berardi, U., GhaffarianHoseini, A. and Makaremi, N. (2013). The essence of future smart houses: From embedding ICT to adapting to sustainability principles. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 24, p.596. Figure 06: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Timeline of the smart home evolution. Figure 07: Ghayvat, H. and Mukhopadhyay, S. (2017). Wellness Protocol for Smart Homes: An Integrated Framework for Ambient Assisted Living. 24th ed. Sydney: Springer. p.2. Figure 08: Palin, M. (2017). Images showing smart house spaces in the future. Available at: https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/design/houses-ofthe-future-smart-mirrors-medical-testing-toilets-virtual-closets/newsstory/8d31f354ec6ed5f094568fff50ecc096 [Accessed 17 Dec. 2018]. Figure 09: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Timeline of the smart home evolution in Cyprus. 3. Methodology Figure 10: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Diagram depicting the overall design framework from introduction to conclusion. Figure 11: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Survey answers classified in relation to smart home benefits.

4. Findings, Analysis and Discussion Figure 12: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Survey answers regarding the gender, age and country of origin. Figure 13: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Survey answers regarding the preferable living area and type of home. Figure 14: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Survey answers regarding the smart home benefits and challenges. Figure 15: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Survey answers regarding smart home appliances and features. Figure 16: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Survey answers regarding preferable home spaces and home features. Figure 17: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Survey answers regarding preferable home materials and home descriptions. Figure 18: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Survey answers regarding smart home rate of interest. Figure 19: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Top survey answers by order compared for each gender and age group. Figure 20: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Top survey answers by order for each smart home benefit when ranked as top choice. Figure 21: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Cypriot vs British housing design trends. 5. Conclusion Figure 22: Kypridemos, M. (2018). Top survey answers by order for each question.

1. Introduction 1.1 Research Motivation 1.2 Research Purpose and Structure 1.3 Research Question 1.4 Research Aims and Objectives

1 INTRODUCTION Research Motivation ‘Smart home’ is the term usually used to describe a residence that has different appliances or features that are capable of communicating with one another and can be controlled remotely from anywhere by internet or phone (Smarthomeusa.com, 2018), offering various vital benefits to its users such as comfort, better quality of life, energy efficiency, automation and safety. In previous decades, smart homes were usually described as an innovative dream for future architecture and societies (Bregman and Korman, 2009). However, recent scholarly research confirms the gradual introduction of smart homes concept into our lives (Wong and Li, 2009). Also, based on the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Future Housing Design Trends 2015 survey, there is already an increasing interest in the integration of smart home technologies by the clients (RIBA, 2015). As a matter of fact, the penetration of modern information and communication technologies (ICT) into daily life and especially in the houses, seems inevitable (GhaffarianHoseini et al., 2013). For this reason, it is particularly interesting to firstly introduce and explain various aspects of smart homes to people and then examine their views and reactions about smart homes. As a result of this, except the fact that a general knowledge regarding smart homes will be provided, an initial understanding of the people’s reactions and interests about this new upcoming modern technology will be identified as well. This will help to shape an idea of how the majority of smart homes may look like in the future, and thus create a competent general and architectural approach towards smart homes.

Research Purpose and Structure The purpose of the research study is to contribute towards the dissemination of smart home knowledge and then to identify the housing design trends of smart homes of the 21st century in Cyprus. The research comprises of five chapters: Chapter One: Introduction Chapter Two: Literature Review Chapter Three: Methodology Chapter Four: Findings, Analysis and Discussion Chapter Five: Conclusion 14

Research Question Firstly, research regarding the introduction of smart homes in our lives, how smart home technologies work, their benefits and their challenges. Secondly, the identification of the up to date progress and status of smart homes in Cyprus. Thirdly, the identification of the views of Cypriot residents regarding smart homes and their preferred future housing design trends through a survey study.

Research Aims and Objectives By identifying the housing design trends of smart homes in Cyprus, the research aim is to shape and present an idea of how the majority of smart homes in Cyprus will look like during the 21st century. The research objectives of the research are as follows: 1. To research different aspects of smart homes and identify they are up to date progress and status in general and in Cyprus as well. 2. To use this research in order to create a survey on smart homes and future housing design trends for Cyprus residents. 3. To examine, discuss and compare the results of the survey. 4. To make conclusions about smart homes, implications for architecture and identify considerations for future research.

Figure 1: Diagram depicting the initial stages of the research.

2. Literature Review 2.1 Overview of Existing Research 2.2 Terminologies of Smart Home 2.3 Smart Home Technologies and Architecture 2.4 The Penetration and Evolution of Smart Homes 2.5 Smart Home Benefits 2.5.1 Benefit 1: Energy Efficiency/Money saving 2.5.2 Benefit 2: Environmentally Friendly 2.5.3 Benefit 3: Comfort/ Entertainment 2.5.4 Benefit 4: Home Automation 2.5.5 Benefit 5: Safety and Security 2.5.6 Benefit 6: Better Quality of Life/Well-Being 2.6 Smart Home Challenges 2.7 Existing Smart Home Research in Cyprus 2.8 The Gap in Smart Home Knowledge

2 LITERATURE REVIEW 17

2 LITERATURE REVIEW Overview of Existing Research The first and most significant part of the research undertaken was based on the general existing smart home research, in order to gain the appropriate knowledge about the study topic. Subsequently, shorter research was undertaken on smart homes, but this time it was focused in Cyprus. This method resulted in identifying the sizeable smart home knowledge gap in Cyprus, which was the motivation and confirmation that research regarding future smart homes in Cyprus would be useful.

Terminologies of Smart Home Due to the fact that ‘smart home’ is relatively a new forthcoming term for the people, every paper includes its brief terminology of what it defines as smart home usually at the beginning of the paper (see figure 2). For instance, the professors Kamrul Islam, Weiming Shen and Xianbin Wang define ‘smart home’ as a small physical world including several devices such as actuators, sensors, displays and computational elements interacting and exchanging information with the users to make their life better, more comfortable and secure through the process of information, automation and the provision of personalized services (Islam, Shen and Wang, 2012). Also, the smart home is described as an environment which gains and applies knowledge of the physical setting and its users so that can achieve various goals like minimising the consumption of resources while maximising the comfort of the users and maintaining the safety of the environment (Rashidi and Cook, 2009). A smart home can also be described as a dwelling including a communications network which connects the main electrical appliances and services and enables them to be controlled, accessed and monitored within and outside of the dwelling (Jiang, Liu and Yang, 2004). Furthermore, smart homes are defined as modernised sensor embedded residences including integrated systems which are capable of communicating with each other (Markovic et al., 2012). They are entirely equipped with wireless network, sensors, new technologies and designs leading to an architecture that can satisfy all the needs of its users such as well-being, high quality of life, security, comfort and automation (GhaffarianHoseini et al., 2013).

Figure 2: Smart home definitions and descriptions throughout the years.

Smart Home Technologies and Architecture A large part of the existing literature explains how smart home technologies work. The smart home integration system consists of three important entities: 1. The first step is to incorporate various physical components such as smart sensors, electronic equipment and actuators to discover the residentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activity patterns at predictable periods (e.g. weekly or monthly) through daily collected data (see figure 3). This will provide a basis for automating different activities in a smart home (Rashidi and Cook, 2009). For instance, smart sensors may be placed in specific locations inside the home environment to record and measure the amounts of water, electricity and other utilities or resource usage and report them to the centre. Also, sensors can reveal the number of people that are present, their identification, their daily or current activities, their movements and more. Another example is floor

sensors which can collect information regarding weight or data such as whether someone is sitting, exercising and so forth (Islam, Shen and Wang, 2012).

2. The second step is to use a communication system (wireless/wired network) to interconnect all the physical components into one central smart home integrated system/server that runs the house (see figure 4). All the information that collects (e.g. energy consumption, room temperatures, security, occupants, personal schedules, weather and more) can be viewed and managed from a screen (Palin, 2017).

3. The third step is to process and analyse the information through an artificial intelligence program (Suryadevara and Mukhopadhyay, 2015) in order to efficiently control and manage all the smart appliances (e.g. cooker, tv, fridge, air conditioning, bed and more) depending on different factors such as electricity price or the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs (Augusto and Nugent, 2006).

Figure 3: Apartment layout indicating embedded technology to support independent living (Augusto and Nugent, 2006).

Figure 4: Smart home screen where you can view and manage all collected data (Ion, 2018).

Some literature also describes different experiments with smart home systems that are used to provide a smart environment for its users. Examples of these systems include: 1. Centre for Advanced Studies on Adaptive Systems (CASAS): It includes various cooperating components which discover activity patterns and then generates policies to schedule automated activities. It also adapts to user feedback or changes in userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s patterns (Rashidi and Cook, 2009).

2. Wireless Sensor Network (WSN): It improves the quality of life in smart homes by offering different interactive, automated and comfortable services. It works with sensors integrated into various places inside the home environment collecting and analysing various userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s data to assist in real-time decision-making procedures (Islam, Shen and Wang, 2012).

3. SOCRADES: It analyses a service-oriented middleware approach to integrating device level data into business processes (Jahn et al., 2010).

4. HYDRA: It aims at integrating energy efficiency into a smart home infrastructure by providing intuitive user interfaces for managing and controlling the smart environment. Also, the user can interact with the system via mobile and stationary interfaces (Jahn et al., 2010).

In order to successfully implement such a system into a home and eventually create a smart home environment, it might be essential for different specialists such as architects, computer scientists, electrical engineers and more, to work together (Augusto and Nugent, 2006). Regarding architects, this means that they should have the appropriate knowledge on smart home technologies in order to work and cooperate efficiently with companies providing smart systems and other specialists. Additionally, architects should design having in mind the effects and characteristics of the specific smart home technologies that the client wants to incorporate into his home.

Figure 5: Samples of existing smart houses (GhaffarianHoseini et al., 2013)

The Penetration and Evolution of Smart Homes It is worth mentioning that papers also highlight the fact that smart homes are becoming part of our everyday life. In general, the concept of smart is becoming more and more popular nowadays. After the creation of smartphones, smart TVs and more, we are about to have smart homes entering our lives as well. There is extensive research on smart homes going on currently worldwide, as they are considered one of the main constituents of smarter living environments (GhaffarianHoseini et al., 2013). “From tri-hubs housing three generations to homes that generate more energy than they consume, there’s a whole lot of innovation taking place in the world of architecture.” (Shiel, 2015) During the last decades, various companies, research groups and scientists (e.g. MIT, Cisco, Siemens, IBM, Microsoft and more) are studying and experimenting on this topic by integrating various artificial intelligence (AI) techniques and machine learning into home environments, achieving significant advancements and making reality the possibility of having a smart home world in the near future (Rashidi and Cook, 2009). For instance, in 2000 Sun Microsystems and Invensys announced the development of "smart home" infrastructure to accelerate the delivery of services to wired appliances in the home, while in 2002 Intel launched the proactive health research project and in 2004 C.P. Technology has used IBM’s web sphere and developed the high tech “smart home” for marketing (Augusto and Nugent, 2006). A timeline of the smart home evolution as derived from the existing research is shown in figure 6.

Figure 6: Timeline of the smart home evolution.

Smart Home Benefits Most of the literature highlights the benefits of smart homes, which are considerably encouraging regarding the upgrade of future homes. Anyone could benefit from smart homes including elders and disabled people as well. A significant advantage of smart homes that puts them ahead of other kinds of smart technologies is that they are fully customizable, which means that as long as the budget enables it, one can create the smart home of his dreams based on his own needs. On the other hand, in the case of smartphones, they are only partly customizable. In particular, only after one buys them with their factory specifications (e.g. megapixels, size, memory and more) can customise them (e.g. by downloading apps, adding background images, music etc). In general, the smart home offers more power and flexibility to its users (Lepton, 2011). However, through the research, all of the smart home benefits identified were classified into six main categories and were further explored.

2.5.1 Benefit 1: Energy Efficiency/Money Saving One of the primary smart home benefits is energy efficiency which automatically means saving money too, as energy is a significant cost factor. “Energy saving and health are the two dominant application domains for persuasive systems in smart home environments” (Van Hoof, Demiris and Wouters, 2017) Smart metering enables energy awareness while controlling the consumption of the energy considerably. They can also calculate the most efficient ways to save energy and make recommendations to its users. Smart home users will be able not only to observe the overall household consumption but each device’s consumption as well, making it possible to identify and control the devices which consume most of the power at home and thus save energy costs (Jahn et al., 2010). This system could be accessed by the Internet enabling the user to adjust energy consumption anytime and anywhere (Smarthomeusa.com, 2018). Specifically, an example of smart home energy saving is a system that automatically switches on and off appliances or lights like air conditioners, based on the length of the day and the user’s routines (Rokach, 2012). Another example is a smart thin film solar technology that could be applied to the windows making every window in the house a power generator.

In fact, “each future home will be its power generation station” (Lepton, 2011). Also, gasfilled triple glazed windows, solar panels and intelligent insulation that automatically adjusts to the external temperature and controls the indoor heat, could all be standard fixtures in a smart home.

2.5.2 Benefit 2: Environmentally Friendly The fact that smart homes help to reduce the overall energy consumption and generate their energy means that emissions of CO2 which are one of the leading causes of global warming, are going to be reduced as well (Jahn et al., 2010). Also, smart homes will help to achieve the new housing rules of nearly zero energy and zero carbon. Furthermore, water may become so scarce in the future that will require us to recycle it. For this purpose, smart homes will offer greywater filtering and recycling systems (e.g. from bathroom sinks, washing machines, showers) to enable the re-use of water (e.g. to toilets). The rainwater gathering will be maximised by green roofs as well, while most of the materials used to create a smart home could be reused at the end of their life, making smart homes even more environmentally friendly. Therefore, smart homes will have a significant impact on helping ‘saving’ the planet, sustainability and social responsibility.

2.5.3 Benefit 3: Comfort/Entertainment A primary intention of the smart home is to increase user comfort and thus ease everyday life. Comfort may be achieved in two ways: 1) Human activity and behaviour identification and transformation of the home environment based on the user’s needs. 2) Remote home controls and monitoring (Ghayvat and Mukhopadhyay, 2017). There are many ways in which a smart home will offer comfort to its users. For instance, one may have a home office where he can work flexible hours, collaborate, communicate and interact with co-workers virtually, call meetings and more (Lepton, 2011). Other examples are virtual wardrobes which will receive data and suggest daily outfits based on user preferences and weather, while a smart mirror could be used to dress the user virtually (Palin, 2017). Also, various countertop heights can be adjusted in order to serve

people of all sizes, ages and physical abilities (Lewis, 2017). There are many potentials of the smart home regarding increasing userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comfort and entertainment.

2.5.4 Benefit 4: Home Automation Automation is the oldest topic of interest for researchers (since the 1940s) amongst the six smart home benefits (Augusto and Nugent, 2006). The term â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;smart homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is sometimes defined as home automation involving control of heating, lighting, security, air conditioning, appliances and more. Home automation requires two elements: internet and electricity and can be operated using smartphone apps from any place (Agrawal, 2017). Also, home automation is especially useful for disabled or aged people and for people who live alone (Brumitt and Cadiz, 2001). Home automation has already started to penetrate our homes with devices such as Google Home or Amazon Echo, but it will continue to increase dramatically during the coming years as more devices are used in the home and thus the problem of controlling them is increasing as well (Augusto and Nugent, 2006). There are countless home automation examples such as using smartphone apps to check the temperature or supplies in the refrigerator and order more, start the laundry or turn on the oven (Lepton, 2011). Furthermore, a smart door will recognise you meaning that there will be no need for keys. Home automation may be provided by glass walls too, which will turn opaque when the user desires. Also, windows will allow natural light to pass through during the day and transmit light during the night (Shiel, 2015).

2.5.5 Benefit 5: Safety and Security An increasing in importance topic worldwide is the safety and security of home environments. Therefore, smart homes will also provide a more secure and safe environment for their users (Augusto and Nugent, 2006). Those can be achieved with the use of smart cameras and smart alarm systems. For instance, smart cameras will use a facial recognition system to identify friends or intruders. In case an intruder is detected or threatening the home, the system will automatically call the police, and the alarm will be switched on (Lepton, 2011). 28

2.5.6 Benefit 6: Better Quality of Life/Well-Being Since 1840, life expectancy has been increasing worldwide by an average of an extra three months per year, meaning that most people today and in the future will live a relatively long life (Van Hoof, Demiris and Wouters, 2017). Additionally, the number of people living alone at home is also increasing over the years and will continue in the near future as figure 7 indicates (Ghayvat and Mukhopadhyay, 2017). Therefore, smart homes offer continuous health monitoring capabilities, especially to older and disabled people, as well as people with chronic diseases without the need to go to nursing homes, so that they can have a better quality of life (Stefanov, Bien and Bang, 2004).

Figure 7: Tables showing the percentage of householders living alone (Ghayvat and Mukhopadhyay, 2017).

Better quality of life is achieved by several smart home technologies and sensor devices that deliver information about the health status of the users (Augusto and Nugent, 2006). An example is smart toilets, which analyse body waste, conduct medical tests and identify potential health issues. Also, smart beds will monitor sleep patterns, heartbeat and breathing in order to maximise sleep cycles (Palin, 2017).

Figure 8: Images showing smart house spaces in the future (Palin, 2017).

Smart Home Challenges Apart from the smart home benefits, some of the literature addresses and explains the challenges and issues regarding smart home technologies as it happens with every emerging technological innovation. The main challenges identified in the research are: 1. Security and privacy issues: As significant amounts of personal information are being collected and processed by smart technologies using a wireless network, security and privacy issues are becoming considerable and should be seriously taken into account (Islam, Shen and Wang, 2012). Notable questions regarding this issue are: who should receive personal information and what information should each person receive? Moreover, how should information be presented? (Augusto and Nugent, 2006)

2. Reliability and device failures: For people to start using and supporting smart home technologies, it is crucial that they can trust them. Therefore, achieving the required level of reliability and avoiding significant device failures is of paramount importance regarding the use of smart technologies into home environments (Jiang, Liu and Yang, 2004).

3. Cost of installation and maintenance: It is expected that the cost of installation and maintenance of smart home technologies will probably be the main issue concerning the people who want to make use of these technologies. In most cases, people will have to acquire only the smart technologies that help satisfy their needs.

4. The unawareness of people about the benefits of smart homes: For smart homes to start being implemented into peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives, it is necessary that people are aware of the benefits that smart homes can offer to them (Venkatesh, 2003). Thus, one of the aims of this research is to help in providing a general smart home knowledge to the readers and the participants of the survey.

5. The complexity and difficulty of the use of these intelligent systems: This could be another issue regarding the use of smart technologies as in many cases, it might be something new and a never seen before smart technology. 31

Existing Smart Home Research in Cyprus The second phase of the research was undertaken to identify how smart home technologies exist in Cyprus and what is their current form of penetration into architecture. It was found that a few companies based in Cyprus are specialised in installing smart home technologies in several buildings. Specifically, five companies were found to offer smart home technologies installation services, and some projects have already been delivered within Cyprus during the past years (see figure 9). Smart home technologies in Cyprus mainly exists in a minimal number of expensive houses, hotels, banks, hospitals, office buildings, shopping centres, sport and leisure centres and general use buildings (such as museums, theatres, restaurants and universities). The smart home technologies that are usually installed in Cyprus based on the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs are home automation (e.g. lighting, audio, video and blinds control), environmental control (e.g. heating, cooling and ventilation), comfort (e.g. room devices), security (e.g. cameras alarms) and energy saving (e.g. thermostat adjustment). The process of the installation may involve lighting designers, architects, interior designers, landscape designers, mechanical and electrical contractors and the system is based on intelligent software designed by the companies. The time needed for the completion of the installation varies according to the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s requirements (Rhine Line, 2018). Furthermore, derives from the undertaken research, it seems that there is an intention from a few developer companies to start building houses that include smart technologies. Currently, the process of installing smart technologies in home environments in Cyprus is happening in existing buildings. Therefore, the design of a new building is not enhanced by smart home technologies yet. Thus, architects need to take into consideration the smart home technologies only in the case they are being appointed by a client (e.g. company) that wants to install smart home technologies into a home environment. However, it is expected that soon people will start building houses and public buildings with smart technologies integrated, meaning the design will need to be adjusted accordingly.

The Gap in Smart Home Knowledge Although there is extensive research on various topics regarding smart homes, there is a lack of research about smart home technologies in Cyprus and how these will penetrate and affect the future of housing. 32

Smart home technologies regarding the enhancement of lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quality and well-being seem to be lacking from the services that are offered by the smart home technology companies in Cyprus. Thus, it is essential to introduce this kind of smart home technologies to the Cypriot industry as well, as it is one of the leading smart home benefits, and it has been explored within this study. Also, the installation of smart technologies in home environments in Cyprus is currently taking place only in some large projects, existing public buildings and in very few expensive houses. Therefore, there is a need for research about how smart home technologies will be present and affect the look of new houses in the future. As a result of these, this study seeks to introduce and explore further the integration of smart home technologies in future housing in Cyprus. This is achieved by researching some fundamental aspects of the smart homes and presenting them to Cypriot residents through a survey where their preferences are being collected and analysed in order to identify their overall views about smart homes. This way, an idea is created and presented about how most of the smart homes in Cyprus will look like during the coming decades.

Figure 9: Timeline of the smart home evolution in Cyprus.

3. Methodology 3.1 Research Methods and Process 3.2 The Survey 3.2.1 Survey Questions and Expected Outcomes

3 METHODOLOGY

3 METHODOLOGY Research Methods and Process In order to gain the appropriate knowledge required to undertake this study and achieve its overall aim, extensive initial research about the existing smart home knowledge (using various sources such as journals, books, websites and videos) had to be made. In order to increase the reliability of the literature review, for each research paper was ensured that it is published in English. Also, due to the limited knowledge in earlier years and the rapid development of technology, older papers were excluded. This was the most significant part of the research, and the outcomes were analysed in the literature review. The purpose of the second phase of the research was to identify the up to date progress and status of smart homes in Cyprus. Therefore, additional research was undertaken, of which its outcome was analysed in the literature review as well. After the smart home research was completed, its main outcomes were used to help to structure a survey about smart homes for Cyprus residents, in order to gather quantitative data. Subsequently, all the survey results were analysed to obtain information and make various observations and conclusions which are presented in the following chapters. In this way, the overall research aim is to shape and present an idea of how the majority of smart homes in Cyprus will look like during the 21st century.

Figure 10: Diagram depicting the overall design framework from introduction to conclusion.

The Survey The survey is a popular and effective way to gather many responses from a large number of people regarding specific questions. The responses are then analysed using statistical techniques and information regarding the specific survey topic is obtained, which can be generalised about the whole population. The aim of the survey that was used for this research was to analyse the results in order to identify the views of Cypriot residents regarding smart homes and their preferred housing design trends of the 21st century in Cyprus. Also, a comparison between the survey’s results and the RIBA future housing design trends of 2015 is made to identify the differentiation in housing preferences between the two cultures (Cyprus and Britain). The survey (see appendix 01) is web-based with a duration of two months to maximise response rate and completeness. Also, it is customizable and more straightforward to collect and analyse the results as they are presented in electronic form. Regarding ethics, the participant’s anonymity was assured, and each participant was informed about the purpose of the survey and the use of its results. The survey was designed to be short and interesting and in a way that not only gathers information about the views of Cypriots residents but also provides them with some basic knowledge about smart homes. Specifically, the term ‘smart home’ is being explained only at the introduction of the survey, while highlighting the penetration of smart homes into future housing as well. Additionally, through the questions and their respective answers, the participants gain information regarding the benefits, challenges, appliances and features of smart homes. Purposive sampling was utilised for the survey’s target audience, which involved anyone who is planning to build or renovate his own home during the next decades in Cyprus. Furthermore, to identify the profile of the participants, the initial questions of the survey were asking for the gender, age and country of origin.

3.2.1 Survey Questions and Expected Outcomes The questions included in the survey were purposively selected to help provide the appropriate information needed from the participants in order to achieve the aim of the study. After the three initial questions mentioned earlier, the following questions were about the preferred living area and the preferred type of home. The result of these questions was to identify where (e.g. urban, suburban, rural) and at what type of homes (e.g. house, apartment, modular house and more) the majority of Cypriot residents will live, during the following decades. The sixth question was asking participants to rank the six smart home benefits that were identified during the smart home research, in terms of importance, while the following question was asking them to rank the identified smart home challenges. The purpose of these questions was to test and obtain the opinions of Cypriots about the benefits and challenges of smart homes. The following question was asking the participants to select from a list, which smart appliances would like to have in their future home. A brief description of each smart appliance was provided as well. The expected outcome was to observe which of the smart home technologies are more interesting to Cypriots and thus identify those who are most likely to be incorporated in future homes in Cyprus. The rest of the questions were about the general future housing design trends of Cypriots. Specifically, the next three questions asked participants to select which spaces, features and main materials would like to have in their home, bearing in mind the approximate cost of each space or feature and their estimated future budget. Also, the following question was about selecting the answers which best describe their preferred future home. The outcomes of these questions were to identify the preferred home spaces, features and materials of Cypriots and compare them with the RIBA future housing design trends. This also helped in achieving the researchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aim by creating a good idea about how the smart homes in Cyprus will look like in the following decades. The final question of the survey was asking the participants how much interested they are in living or building a smart home in the future. The question intended to identify the average amount of Cypriots who are positive and would like to live in a smart home in the future, after they have obtained an additional general knowledge about smart homes, through the completion of the survey.

Smart Home Benefits Energy Efficiency Money Saving

Environmentally Friendly

Comfort/Entertainment

Home Automation

Safety and Security

Better Quality of Life Well-Being

Smart garage

Smart refrigerator Smart bed Smart sofa Smart pillow Smart bathroom Smart wardrobe Smart mirror Smart dressing table

Smart gate Smart refrigerator Smart garage Smart table Smart mat Smart wardrobe Smart mirror

Smart cameras Smart gate Smart table Smart mat

Smart bed Smart toilet Smart pillow Smart bathroom

Storage space Barbecue area Home office/work-space Swimming pool Laundry room Sauna, steam room or Jacuzzi

Home office/work-space

Garden Bath Shower Barbecue area Outdoor living/dining space Swimming pool En-suite bedroom Play-room Walk-in closet Bar Sauna, steam room or Jacuzzi Library Cinema room

En-suite bedroom

Lobby

Bath Shower Guestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s WC Swimming pool Laundry room Sauna, steam room or Jacuzzi

Large amount of natural light Fireplace Solar/PV panels Good insulation Under-floor heating

Good insulation Recycling features

Large amount of natural light Fireplace Open plan living Floor to ceiling glazing/windows Programmable lighting High ceiling Double-height spaces

Open plan living Programmable lighting

Security alarm Security cameras Programmable lighting

Under-floor heating Support for ageing occupants Support for disabled living Single storey house

Cost efficient Sustainable

Environmentally efficient Sustainable

Practical Good-looking Modern or Traditional design Nice views Expensive/Luxurious/Spacious Flat or pitched roof

Practical

Safe Private

Safe Practical Expensive/Luxurious/Spacious

Smart Home Technologies

Home Spaces

Home Features

Home Descriptions

Figure 11: Survey answers classified in relation to smart home benefits.

4. Findings, Analysis and Discussion

4 findings etc

4.1 Survey Findings and Analysis 4.1.1 Profile of the Participants 4.1.2 Preferable Living Area and Type of Home 4.1.3 Smart Home Benefits, Challenges and Technologies 4.1.4 Cyprus Housing Design Trends 4.1.5 Smart Home Rate of Interest 4.2 Comparison Between Cypriot and British Future Housing Design Trends

4 FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION Survey Findings and Analysis During the two months that the web-based survey has remained open to the public, it has been completed by a total of 117 Cypriot residents. The number of participants has met the expectations, and it has been enough for making conclusions about the future of smart homes and design trends in Cyprus. Generally, the feedback from the participants about the survey was that it is well-structured and interesting because it included facts about smart homes which they did not know before. Therefore, the wider aim of the survey which is to provide an extra amount of general knowledge surrounding smart homes to the people completing the survey is achieved.

4.1.1 Profile of the Participants Regarding the gender of the participants, 40% were female, and 60% were male (1 person skipped the question). In terms of age, 33% of the participants belong to the age group of 15-24 years old, 44% to the age group of 25-34, 22% to the age group of 35-44 and 11% are 45 years old or older. The younger age groups (15-24 and 25-34) which consist the 67% of the surveyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s participants are those who are more likely to have their own home in the next decades. Therefore, it is likely that the survey results will indeed match the reality of the future homes in Cyprus. The majority of the participants (84%) are Cypriots, while 15% are Greeks and 1% are British who live in Cyprus. This also means that the Cypriot population is represented by 84% of the surveyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s results.

Figure 12: Survey answers regarding the gender, age and country of origin.

4.1.2 Preferable Living Area and Type of Home Regarding the area that the participants want to live, 53% chose urban (city), 40% chose sub-urban (towns and villages outside of a city), and only 7% chose rural (village). From this, it is evident that the current phenomenon of people wanting to live in a city rather than in a village will continue to exist in the future as well. This happens for various reasons, and it should be monitored in order to avoid possible overpopulation and too dense cities. Also, a 72% want to build and live in their own house, while 9% prefer an apartment, 7% a pre-made house, 5% a modular house (house that can be constructed much faster on site and costs less than a conventional house) and another 7% would like to extend or live in their family house. Although the amount of people that want to build their own house is large, it is expected that some of them will end up living in another type of home such as an apartment, because the cost of buying a plot and building a house in Cyprus is relatively expensive. It is worth mentioning that 5% of the participants (mostly females aged 35-44) would like to live in a modular house which is cheaper than a conventional house. This is also probably, due to the previous statement regarding the high cost of building a new house.

Figure 13: Survey answers regarding the preferable living area and type of home.

4.1.3 Smart Home Benefits, Challenges and Technologies The survey asked participants to rank the six main smart home benefits identified through the literature research. The most important benefits for Cypriot residents are comfort/entertainment and a better quality of life/well-being. Both benefits achieved the same amount of score (4.1 out of 6). In third place, is safety and security, followed by energy efficiency/money saving, environmentally friendly and automation took the last place. This rank is almost the same for both genders and all age groups, except the age group of 45 or older who ranked energy efficiency/money saving as their most important smart home benefit. This indicates that most smart homes in Cyprus will be designed to be comfortable and enhance the quality of life. Therefore, in terms of architecture, a design approach to these two benefits would be more effective. Also, even though the better quality of life/well-being was ranked as the top smart home benefit, in the existing research for smart homes in Cyprus, it was observed that smart home technologies regarding the quality of life and well-being are minimal or does not exist by smart home technology companies in Cyprus. Therefore, this is a significant reason for the current lack of smart home technologies in houses and suggests that further importance should be given to this kind of smart home benefit. Similarly to benefits, the participants were asked to rank the six smart home challenges as well. Security issues were the most important challenge followed by privacy issues. Then the cost of installation and maintenance, reliability/device failures, the unawareness of people about the benefits of smart homes and the complexity of smart home systems completed the results. This order was the same for all genders and age groups meaning that it is very reliable. The fact that security and privacy issues are the most critical considerations for Cyprus residents means that further attention should be given to ensure that smart home technologies are secured and maintain the privacy of their users. If this is achieved, then it will mostly be up to the cost of each smart technology whether people will want to include them into their home. In this case, architects could design a smart home to be cost efficient, saving more budget for smart technologies and thus the less it will cost on its own, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;smarterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; will be.

Figure 14: Survey answers regarding the smart home benefits and challenges.

Subsequently, participants were asked to select from a list which smart appliances or features would like to have in their home, bearing in mind the approximate cost and their estimated future budget. The most popular answer was smart cameras (selected by the 59% of participants), followed by smart gate (53%), smart refrigerator (51%), smart bed (49%), smart garage (42%), smart toilet (38%), smart sofa (37%) and more. Therefore, the existence frequency of each of these smart technologies in future houses in Cyprus could be proportionate to the percentage of participants that selected them. The first two ranked smart technologies (smart cameras and gate) are both related to safety and security which was ranked as a third most important benefit of smart homes, creating a debate regarding the importance of safety and security in homes. However, it was observed that most of the participants who selected smart cameras are aged 35 or older, meaning that it is less likely to see smart cameras in homes in the future, than this surveyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s question result indicates. The majority of selection of this kind of smart technologies does not affect the design of a house directly, as they are systems or appliances that are being installed later on. However, it is suggested that the architect bears in mind what kind of smart technologies are required by the client.

Figure 15: Survey answers regarding smart home appliances and features.

4.1.4 Cyprus Housing Design Trends The first question regarding housing design trends asked participants to select which spaces would like to have in their home. Most of the participants (72%) want to have a garden. The following spaces completed the list: bath (56%), shower (56%), storage (56%), barbecue area (55%), guestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s WC (54%), home office (53%), outdoor living/dining area (52%), swimming pool (48%), en-suite bedroom (46%), laundry room (44%), play-room (40%) and more (essential spaces such as kitchen, living area and more were not included in the answer options). An interesting fact is that females prefer a bath and en-suite bedroom while males prefer a shower and home office. As expected, the choice of home spaces relates to the age of each participant. For instance, participants aged 15-24 selected play-room and swimming pool within others, while participants aged 35-44 selected laundry room, home office, barbecue area and storage within others. Consequently, the percentages that correspond to each home space relate to the frequency of which they will be incorporated in future homes, with the ones selected by the age groups 15-24 and 25-34 to be possible. The survey asked participants to select various preferable home features as well. Security alarm (66%) and security cameras (59%) were again selected as the most popular answer. They were followed by features such as a large amount of natural light (57%), fireplace (57%), solar panels (50%), good insulation (48%), open plan living (42%) and more. The results of these questions confirmed that indeed security and privacy is important for Cypriot residents (mainly for older people). However, it has been observed that security alarm is more popular than security cameras for all age groups and therefore it is more likely to have more future homes with alarms than with cameras or maybe even with both. Also, natural light is preferable to older people (aged 35+) while fireplace is preferable to younger people (aged 15-24), even though both received the same percentage. An optimistic statistic is that 50% of the participants want to have solar panels, which is undoubtedly more significant than the percentage of people who have solar panels today. This is very important in terms of energy efficiency as there are a lot of sunny days in Cyprus. Regarding architecture, features such as natural light, fireplace, sound insulation and open plan living affect the design of a house at a notable level. Therefore, it is very likely that architects will need to continue designing houses with these features in the coming years as they will continue to be required, based on the survey results.

Figure 16: Survey answers regarding preferable home spaces and home features.

Subsequently, participants selected the main materials that they wanted to use for their home. The top selection was wood (56%) followed by glass (55%), metal (45%), concrete (43%), ceramic (41%), stone (40%) and more. Stone and ceramic are preferable to females while concrete and metal to males. Wood and glass are the top selections for both genders. Consequently, it is expected that most future houses will have wood (e.g. wood cladding) and glass (e.g. large windows and glass railings) as well as metal, concrete, ceramic and stone. These results could be helpful in the future for architects to adjust their house design approach accordingly in order to provide solutions to clients with a higher success rate. The last question regarding housing trends asked participants to select from a list of home descriptions, which ones they would like to describe their home. Most of the participants (76%) want their house to be safe, while 70% want it to be practical too. Goodlooking (57%) was the third most popular selection, modern design (48%) was fourth and private (47%) was fifth. This is another result which includes safety as top selection providing an additional confirmation that the future houses in Cyprus will prioritise safety. However, the fact that safety and security was the third most crucial benefit of smart homes behind comfort/entertainment and a better quality of life/well-being, may mean that people will want to have a safe house, but on the other hand in terms of smart technologies, they will prefer smart appliances or features related to comfort and well-being. Also, it was calculated from the results, that approximately 75% of people will have a house with flat roof, and 25% of people will have a house with pitched roof, which is confirmed by the current trend of building new houses with flat roofs instead of pitched roofs that they used to build during the previous decades. It was also calculated that approximately 84% of people would have a modern designed house (selected mainly by young participants) while the rest 16% will have a classic/traditional designed house. Indeed, most of the new houses built today are modernly designed rather than classic. As a result of these, the majority of future houses built in Cyprus will be modern designed with flat roofs.

Figure 17: Survey answers regarding preferable home materials and home descriptions.

4.1.5 Smart Home Rate of Interest The final question of the survey was asking participants how much interested they are in building or living in a smart home in the future after they have been informed about several essential topics regarding smart homes through the completion of the survey. The results showed that 30% of the participants are interested, 29% are very interested, 22% are definitely interested, 16% are slightly interested, and 3% are not interested. Males are in general more interested in smart homes than females, whereas participants aged 15-24 were the most interested age group compared to the rest. Consequently, there is a good possibility of having smart homes in Cyprus during the next decades, bearing in mind the continued development of smart homes as well. Due to this, it is suggested that architects obtain at least a basic knowledge regarding smart homes as it will consist of an additional advantage for them in the near future.

Figure 18: Survey answers regarding smart home rate of interest.

Preferable area of residence

Preferable type of home

Smart home benefits

Smart home challenges

Smart home technologies

Preferable home spaces

Preferable home features

Preferable home materials

Preferable home descriptions

Smart home rate of interest

Female (40%)

Male (60%)

Age 15-24 (33%)

Age 25-34 (34%)

Age 35-44 (22%)

Age 45+ (11%)

Urban Sub-urban Rural

Build own house Modular house Apartment Pre-made house Extend family house

Build own house Apartment Pre-made house Live in family house Extend family house

Build own house Apartment Extend family house Live in family house Modular house

Build own house Pre-made house Apartment Live in family house Modular house

Build own house Modular house Pre-made house

Build own house Pre-made house Apartment

Well-being Safety and security Comfort Energy efficiency Environmentally friendly Automation

Comfort Well-being Safety and security Energy efficiency Environmentally friendly Automation

Comfort Safety and security Well-being Energy efficiency Environmentally friendly Automation

Well-being Comfort Energy efficiency Safety and security Environmentally friendly Automation

Energy efficiency Comfort Safety and security Well-being Automation Environmentally friendly

Security Privacy Cost Reliability Unawareness of benefits Complexity of systems

Security Cost Reliability Privacy Unawareness of benefits Complexity of systems

Smart cameras Smart bed Smart refrigerator Smart gate Smart garage Smart pillow

Smart cameras Smart gate Smart refrigerator Smart toilet Smart bed Smart garage

Smart bed Smart gate Smart sofa Smart refrigerator Smart toilet Smart cameras

Smart gate Smart cameras Smart refrigerator Smart garage Smart bed Smart pillow

Smart cameras Smart refrigerator Smart garage Smart gate Smart bed Smart bathroom

Smart cameras Smart refrigerator Smart garage Smart gate Smart bed Smart table

Garden Bath Storage Guest's WC En-suite bedroom Outdoor living area Barbecue area

Garden Home office Shower Barbecue area Storage Outdoor living area Guest's WC

Garden Bath Shower Swimming pool Home office Play-room Guest's WC

Garden Outdoor living area Barbecue area Storage Guest's WC En-suite bedroom Shower

Garden Storage Outdoor living area Barbecue area Home office Shower Laundry room

Garden Swimming pool Storage En-suite bedroom Barbecue area Guest's WC Shower

Security alarm Natural light Security cameras Fireplace Good insulation Open plan living

Security alarm Security cameras Fireplace Solar panels Natural light Good insulation

Security alarm Security cameras Fireplace Good insulation Solar panels Floor-ceiling windows

Fireplace Solar panels Security alarm Security cameras Natural light Open plan living

Security alarm Security cameras Natural light Fireplace Solar panels Open plan living

Security alarm Natural light Security cameras Good insulation Solar panels Open plan living

Wood Glass Stone Ceramic Metal Concrete

Wood Glass Metal Concrete Ceramic Stone

Glass Wood Metal Stone Bricks Marble

Wood Ceramic Stone Concrete Glass Metal

Wood Glass Concrete Metal Stone Bricks

Wood Glass Concrete Ceramic Stone Bricks

Safe Practical Modern design Private Good-looking Environmentally efficient

Safe Practical Good-looking Modern design Environmentally efficient Private

Safe Modern design Good-looking Practical Nice views Private

Practical Safe Private Good-looking Environmentally efficient Modern design

Safe Practical Good-looking Private Environmentally efficient Modern design

Safe Practical Good-looking Environmentally efficient Private Modern design

Interested (40%)

Very interested (60%)

Very interested (33%)

Interested (34%)

Interested (22%)

Interested (11%)

Figure 19: Top survey answers by order compared for each gender and age group.

Preferable area of residence

Preferable type of home

Smart home benefits

Smart home challenges

Smart home technologies

Preferable home spaces

Preferable home features

Preferable home materials

Preferable home descriptions

Smart home rate of interest

Comfort Entertainment (26%)

Better Quality of Life Well-Being (24%)

Energy Efficiency Money Saving (14%)

Environmentally Friendly (9%)

Home Automation (6%)

Safety and Security (21%)

Urban Sub-urban Rural

Sub-urban Urban Rural

Urban Sub-urban Rural

Sub-urban Urban

Build own house Modular house Apartment Pre-made house Extend family house

Build own house Apartment Pre-made house Modular house

Build own house Apartment Extend family house Live in family house Modular house

Build own house Pre-made house Live in family house

Build own house Extend family house

Build own house Apartment Pre-made house Live in family house Modular house

Comfort Well-being Energy efficiency Safety and security Environmentally friendly Automation

Well-being Comfort Energy efficiency Safety and security Environmentally friendly Automation

Energy efficiency Environmentally friendly Safety and security Well-being Comfort Automation

Environmentally friendly Safety and security Well-being Automation Comfort Energy efficiency

Automation Comfort Safety and security Energy efficiency Environmentally friendly Well-being

Safety and security Well-being Energy efficiency Comfort Environmentally friendly Automation

Security Privacy Cost Reliability Unawareness of benefits Complexity of systems

Security Privacy Reliability Cost Unawareness of benefits Complexity of systems

Security Cost Privacy Reliability Complexity of systems Unawareness of benefits

Security Reliability Privacy Cost Unawareness of benefits Complexity of systems

Security Cost Reliability Privacy Complexity of systems Unawareness of benefits

Security Privacy Cost Reliability Unawareness of benefits Complexity of systems

Smart gate Smart cameras Smart toilet Smart refrigerator Smart garage Smart bed

Smart cameras Smart refrigerator Smart gate Smart bed Smart table Smart sofa

Smart cameras Smart bed Smart refrigerator Smart pillow Smart gate Smart garage

Smart gate Smart cameras Smart refrigerator Smart garage Smart bed Smart pillow

Smart cameras Smart gate Smart refrigerator Smart bathroom Smart mirror Smart wardrobe

Smart bed Smart gate Smart cameras Smart refrigerator Smart garage Smart toilet

Garden Barbecue area Shower Guest's WC Swimming pool Outdoor living area Home office

Garden Outdoor living area Storage Shower Bath Barbecue area Home office

Garden Home office Shower Storage Barbecue area Bath Guest's WC

Garden Swimming pool Guest's WC Barbecue area Bar Home office En-suite bedroom

Barbecue area Swimming pool Garden Outdoor living area Bar En-suite bedroom Guest's WC

Garden Bath Shower Laundry room Home office En-suite bedroom Guest's WC

Natural light Security alarm Security cameras Open plan living Good insulation Floor-ceiling windows

Fireplace Security alarm Security cameras Solar panels Natural light Good insulation

Security alarm Fireplace Solar panels Natural light Security cameras Open plan living

Natural light Security cameras Security alarm Good insulation Fireplace Programmable lighting

Natural light Solar panels Security cameras Open plan living Good insulation Fireplace

Security alarm Natural light Security cameras Fireplace Good insulation Open plan living

Wood Glass Concrete Metal Ceramic Bricks

Wood Glass Stone Metal Concrete Marble

Wood Glass Stone Metal Bricks Ceramic

Metal Wood Concrete Marble Ceramic Glass

Concrete Marble Glass Metal Stone Wood

Glass Wood Ceramic Stone Concrete Metal

Practical Safe Good-looking Modern design Private Environmentally efficient

Practical Safe Good-looking Environmentally efficient Private Modern design

Practical Safe Environmentally efficient Modern design Good-looking Private

Safe Practical Good-looking Environmentally efficient Private Modern design

Good-looking Practical Safe Modern design Private Environmentally efficient

Safe Practical Good-looking Private Modern design Nice views

Interested (26%)

Interested (37%)

Very interested (43%)

Definetely Interested (30%)

Definetely Interested (50%)

Interested (33%)

Figure 20: Top survey answers by order for each smart home benefit when ranked as top choice.

Comparison Between Cypriot and British Future Housing Design Trends In 2015, RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) undertook research regarding the future housing design trends of British people. For this purpose, they used a survey as well, but instead of having British residents as participants they had 250 RIBA chartered architecture practices of different sizes and geographical locations. The architects were asked to complete the survey in order to identify emerging housing design trends in clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s requirements (RIBA, 2015). The results of the British survey showed that there is an increasing demand for the integration of smart home technologies in houses, as 45% of the architects who completed the survey believe that they will be increased in the following years. Similarly, Cypriot residents showed an average of 66% interest in building or having a smart home in the future. Therefore, both cultures seem to be positive about incorporating smart technologies into their homes, confirming the penetration of smart homes in housing architecture. Based on the British survey, home features such as open plan living, support for disabled or ageing people, natural light from floor to ceiling glazing, under-floor heating, recycling features, solar panels and sound insulation are all expected to be increased over the next years as well. The same trends apply in Cyprus too, except that support for disabled and ageing people is not so popular, and the majority of people does not seem interested in having this kind of features in their home. Also, floor to ceiling glazing, under-floor heating and recycling features are not expected to be increased dramatically in Cyprus. The primary reason explaining most of these results is probably the weather. In Cyprus, there are more sunny and hot days, whereas in Britain there are more cloudy and cold days. Furthermore, while in Britain the demand for security systems is not going to change, in Cyprus there is an increasing intention of incorporating security cameras and alarm in houses making them safer, due to the higher criminality level. This fact may affect the design of a house as well, for example in the case that high-security fencing is required.

In terms of home spaces, the demand for creation of an outdoor living or dining area is not expected to be increased in Britain, unlike in Cyprus where it is a popular trend as the weather is encouraging it. Also, en-suite bedrooms and home offices are going to exist more in future houses of both cultures. However, saunas, steam rooms and jacuzzies are usually considered unnecessary luxuries and are not preferable by the two cultures.

Housing design trends

Britain

Cyprus

Smart home technologies

↑ 45%

↑ 66%

Programmable lighting

─ 44%

─ 28%

Security systems

─ 21%

↑ 63%

Open plan living

↑ 58%

↑ 42%

Support for disabled/ageing people

↑ 41%

↓ 14%

Natural light

↑ 48%

↑ 57%

Floor to ceiling glazing

↑ 46%

─ 34%

Under-floor heating

↑ 68%

─ 35%

Recycling features

↑ 55%

─ 28%

Solar panels

↑ 66%

↑ 50%

Good insulation

↑ 70%

↑ 48%

Outdoor living/dining area

─ 39%

↑ 52%

En-suite bedroom

↑ 52%

↑ 46%

Home office/workspace

↑ 55%

↑ 53%

Sauna, steam room or Jacuzzi

↓ 12%

─ 20%

↑ Increase ↓ Decrease ─ No change Figure 21: Cypriot vs British housing design trends.

5. Conclusion 5.1 Process and Main Findings of the Research 5.2 The Future Smart House in Cyprus 5.3 Implications for Architecture and the Role of Architects 5.4 Future Considerations

5 CONCLUSION

5 CONCLUSION Process and Main Findings of the Research The process of undertaking this study comprised extensive general research about smart homes initially. Then, second research was undertaken regarding the status and progress of smart homes in Cyprus. The findings of these researches were used for the design of a webbased survey concerning smart homes in Cyprus. Several Cypriot residents completed the survey, and its results were analysed creating various observations related to the topic. Throughout the research process and the survey study, this research identified five important findings: 1. The phenomenon of people wanting to live in a city rather than in a village in Cyprus will continue to exist during the next decades as well. Also, most of the Cypriots prefer to build their own house than live in apartments. Therefore, it is suggested that this phenomenon is monitored in order to avoid possible overpopulation and too dense cities.

2. Comfort/entertainment and better quality of life/well-being are expected to be the most common smart home benefits in future houses in Cyprus. However, smart home technologies regarding well-being are minimal or are not provided by smart home technology companies in Cyprus yet, which is a major reason concerning the current lack of smart technologies in houses.

3. Generally, smart home technologies should be designed to be private, confidential, easy to use, reliable, controllable, secure and be provided by credible companies that will offer performance warranties (Hargreaves and Wilson, 2017). In the case of Cypriot residents, the most critical issues which are also expected to affect the number of smart technologies integrated into future houses in Cyprus are their privacy, security and cost.

4. Cypriot residents showed an average of 66% interest in building or having a smart home in the future, confirming that smart homes will be part of housing architecture in Cyprus during the next decades.

5. The main reasons for the differentiation of superior smart technologies, home features and spaces between cultures (e.g. Cyprus and Britain) is the weather and cultural characteristics such as the criminality level.

The Future Smart House in Cyprus Currently, smart home technologies in Cyprus exist only in a number of existing public buildings, large projects and in a very few expensive houses. They are provided by a few companies offering smart technologies regarding home automation, environmental control, comfort, security and energy saving. However, due to the increasing interest of people in smart homes, it is expected that new buildings with integrated smart technologies will start being built in Cyprus during the following years. This will mainly start with large projects and public buildings (e.g. by developer companies) and later on will continue to individual houses as well. Through the analysation of the surveyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s results and the findings, it has been managed to achieve the research aim and primary finding of this study which is to identify how the majority of future smart homes in Cyprus will look like. First of all, they will be individual family houses located inside a Cypriot city or in towns outside of a city. In terms of design, they will include a kitchen, a living area, a dining area, a guestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s WC and storage space on the ground floor. At the first floor, there will be three bedrooms (including one en-suite master bedroom with walk-in closet) and two bathrooms (one with a shower in the master bedroom and one with bath). Also, there will be a home office and a laundry room in either the ground or the first floor and maybe a playroom as well. The exterior spaces will include a garden, a garage for two cars, an outdoor living/dining space with barbecue area and maybe a swimming pool too. The main home features incorporated will be security alarm and cameras to enhance the safety of the house, fireplace, solar panels, open plan living, sound insulation and a large amount of natural light mainly because of a floor to ceiling glazing. Also, the most dominant house materials used will be wood, metal, concrete, ceramic and stone mainly for wall finishes and glass for large windows and railings. Apart from being safe, the future smart houses in Cyprus will be a modern design with a flat roof, practical, private and good looking (internally and externally). Some of them will be energy, cost or environmentally efficient as well. Regarding smart technologies, the amount of their integration in smart 63

houses will depend mainly on how secure, and private are, as well as their cost of installation and maintenance. Most of them will enhance the safety and security of the house and the comfort, entertainment and quality of the residentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, while a fewer amount of smart home technologies will be energy efficient too. Finally, some of the most common smart technologies that will be integrated into future houses in Cyprus will be smart cameras, smart gate, smart refrigerator, smart beds, smart garage, smart toilets, smart sofas, smart pillows, smart tables and smart bathrooms. All of these describe the majority of future smart homes in Cyprus. Having smart homes in Cyprus will provide various benefits to the inhabitants as analysed during the literature review. Additionally, they will be beneficial for the environment in general due to the reduction of energy consumption, and at the same time, they will help to increase sustainable building designs in Cyprus and therefore enhance the efficiency of sustainable development of the Cypriot cities. Whereas for the Cypriot residents, the penetration of smart homes in Cyprus means a better and more convenient lifestyle that will be more comfortable and safer as well.