Built over four floors with fantastic views of the Peak District, plasma screens in nearly every room and a balcony with a hot tub, the Parnell family could become very attached to their new five-bedroom home over the next six months, but its all in the name of scientific research

On June 1st 2005, the Parnell family will move into their state-of-the-art temporary home in Lodge Moor near Sheffield. The family have agreed to take part in a research project that will see them electronically tagged and monitored by the Universities of Nottingham and Leicester. Scientists will even be monitoring habitual patterns of movement of each family member, and the energy consumed by each appliance in the research house.

The findings will provide David Wilson Homes (DWH) with guidance as to what is really needed in a home to provide the right environment for family life.

James Wilson, DWH Group Development Director explains, ‘The Project:Life house will allow us to monitor how they use this research home and identify what works well and what works less well’.

The House has a number of features that will certainly have the proverbial Joneses seething with envy. This is largely due to the major industry support the project has received. Suppliers spanning building products, IT, domestic and garden equipment have linked with DWH to showcase the latest in their ranges and gain valuable feedback from the Parnell family during the research period.

Pilkington have been involved in the project and the house has been glazed entirely with Activ self-cleaning glass, in-keeping with the labour saving nature of all the house’s features. The glazing of the house has been a special consideration and every attempt has been made to ensure that the interior is bathed in natural light. The ceiling between the landing and hallway is made of glass, allowing light from remote-controlled Velux skylights in the roof, to pour down the 30 ft atrium at the front of the house.

Amongst its numerous mod cons, the house boasts a large basement with a laundry room (complete with chute), wine cellar and a large den opening out onto a barbecue patio. On the ground floor, there is a formal dining room, top specification kitchen and an eating area as well as a large sitting room. Floor-lit stairs lead up to the master bedroom which has stunning views and access to the balcony and hot-tub. The glamorous en-suite bathroom offers a choice of steam shower or sunken bath, with a television in the wall for leisurely soaking.

Whether DWH will be able to persuade the Parnell family to leave the house when the six months are up, could be an interesting question, but the family say they love their own house, up the road, too much to want to stay.

What will happen to the house when the project is finished is uncertain but it is valued at no less than £800,000 and it would be unlikely to stay on the market for very long.

Source

Glass Age