MICHAEL SCHLITZ

In Georgia, the Foundation built a specially adapted 6,500-square-foot home for Army veteran Michael Schlitz and his family. The project required much more than conventional home automation. Different spaces, including a connected suite for his mother Robbie, needed accessible, practical control over the functions of a large residence.

ITAM designed and programmed an ELAN g! system with eight in-wall touchscreens and iPad access, integrating five HVAC zones, Lutron lighting, a 12-camera surveillance and security system, and nine audio zones, among other connected systems. The original press coverage described more than $130,000 in donated technology. Intercom communication between different parts of the house was an especially useful everyday feature.

One distinctive solution came directly from Michael’s visual needs. ITAM displayed the ELAN control interface on the television above the fireplace so that controls were significantly larger than on a handheld panel. When the television was off, a framed painting could conceal it: a motorized roller-shade mechanism was triggered by a contact closure from the ELAN controller. It was a small piece of custom engineering with a clear purpose—making the interface easier to use without compromising the room’s appearance.

Read Michael’s Foundation story →

“The intercom feature and the ability to easily regulate the temperature of the house are two features that have made a huge difference.”

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