TecHome Builder Magazine | March/April 2002 print edition | By Donna Englander
* Developers and builders team with The Broadband Group to help realize the goal of building Brambleton, a 6,240-home tech community in Loudoun County, Va.ROI
* Thirty-five homes have already been sold via advanced marketing of the technology.
* Seven builders are installing extensive technology, including required structured wiring.
* The project is the first time Verizon has brought fiber to every home.
Jack of all trades, master of none” is one phrase that doesn’t apply to the builders of Brambleton, a soon-to-be tech community in northern Virginia. When the creators of this development were first envisioning how it would come about, they knew what they could do—build communities and roads. But they also knew what they couldn’t do—create a technology plan that would provide high-speed Internet access and structured wiring to suit its residents’ needs well into the future.
Located in Loudoun County, Virginia—literally in the backyard of the heart of northern Virginia’s high-tech industry-the developers understood that technology must be a vital component of the community. That’s why they formed a partnership with The Broadband Group (TBG), a technology consulting company based in Sacramento, Calif.
The working relationship created between the builders of Brambleton and TBG led not only to a Technology Master Plan and stringent wiring guidelines, but also to partnerships with vendors that will bring extensive technology into the homes and offices of the community.
Why Technology Is Important
With the headquarters of both MCI/WorldCom and AOL just a few miles from Brambleton, and other technology companies, including Orbital Sciences Corporation, Alcatel Data Networks, Science Applications International Corporation, Oracle, Cable and Wireless, ComSatRSI and Star Technologies, in the immediate area, the developers knew they had to include technology in the community.
“We know technology is on top of everyone’s mind in this area. We knew we had to do something about that when planning Brambleton. Our research shows that about 60 percent of our buyers will do some work from home-from full-time telecommuting to occasionally bringing work home,” explains Kim Adams, marketing director for the community. “But we aren’t experienced with technology, so we looked for a vendor that was.”
In fact, technology is so important to the community that it is included in the community vision statement. According to company documents, that vision reads: “Northern Virginia’s newest planned community, designed to enrich the quality of life of its residents by taking full advantage of new technology in a small-town setting that promotes a sense of community. Brambleton will set a new, higher level of quality in design of its parks, Village Center and other community amenities, as well as the architectural design and materials found in its homes and community buildings.”
Brambleton will eventually include 6,240 homes over its 2,010 acres, including 2,829 single-family detached homes, 2,061 single-family attached homes, 1,050 multifamily residences and 300 units designated for the elderly. It will also include a golf/conference center, 450,000 square feet of retail space, 220,000 square feet of office space and 1,760,000 square feet of light industrial space. There will also be amenities such as pools, tennis courts, parks and open spaces, ball fields, public school sites and places of worship.
Brambleton Group LLC received preliminary plan approval for the first 683 residential units in June 2000, and construction of these first homes is currently underway in its Phase One 15-acre Legacy Park. Single-family homes will be priced in the mid-$300,000 to $500,000-plus range and should be finished by early to mid-summer. Townhomes will be offered in the $200,000 range and will be available in approximately the next six months. Apartments will also be available in about a year. The builders include The Christopher Companies, The Gulick Group, Centex Homes, Miller & Smith, Stanley Martin Companies, Winchester Homes and Beazer Homes.
Even though no finished homes or model homes are currently available for potential residents to explore, the community’s marketing emphasis on technology seems to be working. To date, there have already been 35 sales solidified. The tech focus of the community is evident on its Web site, where the tag line is “Brambleton: Connect with Life.”
TBG Creates Technology Master Plan
“When the developers for Brambleton came to us, they said basically the same thing other developers say: ‘We’re not sure what we need or want, but we know we have to address technology,'” explains Tom Reiman, president of TBG. “Generally, we find that builders don’t have a firm grasp on technology objectives. Few builders have the size and scale to do these types of technology-intensive projects.”
Reiman believes Brambleton is one of the most significant announcements in the past 15 years. “It is significant because it is a company of the size and scale to complete the vision, its voice/data/video package is unique, and it is in the right demographic area to test these technologies,” he says.
When working on these types of development projects, TBG first creates a Technology Master Plan. It includes business planning, regulatory and entitlement assistance, and the development of multi-industry partnerships. “When formulating this plan, we try not to use the word ‘technology,'” Reiman explains. “We evaluate the geographic and demographic makeup of the community. We determine what is important to the residents, be it entertainment, school, e-commerce, etc., and then translate that into bandwidth. We then determine who is out there in terms of vendors, networks, points of interconnection, etc., and analyze them.”
From this base, TBG brought its objectives to vendors and had them figure out how to meet them. “Building and telecom are very different businesses. Those involved in the different industries speak different languages. We write the plan in a way technology companies will understand.”
Various factors were evaluated when choosing vendors. “They had to be geographically close enough to the community, they needed to be financially secure and they had to be experienced. We were prepared to work with vendors that had less experience if they could prove they were prepared to face and understand the regulatory hurdles they would encounter. We also weren’t looking for a unique product. Unique products make me nervous. The key to technology is wide-scale adoption, and that usually doesn’t happen with a totally unique product,” he admits.
The vendor chosen to provide the fiber-optic service to the homes is Verizon. “It’s very exciting to see Verizon so actively supporting fiber to the homes,” says Brian Hills, vice president of technical services for TBG. “We have the fiber-to-copper converter placed inside the home rather than outside. This is truly a correction of last-mile problems.”
Reiman adds, “This project is a risk for both Verizon and Brambleton. For Verizon, it is an economic risk because it has never done this before. But, if the project fails, the company can just move on to the next project. For Brambleton, it is a risk because this is its only project and it can’t afford even one technology failure.”
Every Structure Fully Wired
After the Technology Master Plan was complete and the vendors in place, TBG set about creating a set of structured wiring guidelines for all the builders to adhere to. Structured wiring will be required in every building, both residential and commercial, in the community. “We relied on standards currently in the marketplace and other areas when writing the structured wiring guidelines. Every structure in Brambleton has to adopt this prewiring plan. It is vendor non-specific and includes stringent low-voltage requirements. It also includes easement issues and facilities decisions,” explains Reiman.
Hills adds, “We didn’t specify any individual systems, such as security, automation, etc., in the guidelines. What we did do was create a base that would easily accommodate these goodies down the road. The residential prewire guidelines provide for a minimum level of broadband and other services throughout the home. We also paid more attention to forward compatibility by incorporating conduits with pull strings, etc.”
* Some of the standard requirements include Category 5e, RG-6 cabling and an Ethernet hub. The number of drops will be dependent on the square footage of the homes. The outlet types will include:
Media outlets—These provide for voice or high-speed data services (including LAN) via a single Cat5e cable, and video or high-speed data services via a single RG-6 coax.
* Data/voice outlets—These provide voice and high-speed data services (including LAN) via dual Cat5e cables.
* Universal outlets—These provide voice and high-speed data services (including LAN) via dual Cat5e cables, and video services and high-speed data services or the redistribution of video via dual RG-6 cables.
These will be placed in a star topology, require the use of 568a parameters and be interconnected at an enclosure that not only provides for active capabilities today, but also promotes forward compatibility.
“In the guidelines, we augmented certain wiring aspects. For instance, we changed what is considered a cable TV drop. In our plan, a cable TV drop includes a minimum of one RG-6 and one Cat5e outlet to accommodate interactive applications. We also included drops in proximity to a 110V outlet source for ease of other applications,” explains Hills.
While all residences will be required to adhere to these guidelines, the extent to which they must do so will be determined by different factors. Single-family homes will have the most technology…the larger the square footage, the more that will be required. Lease and rental properties will have structured wiring, but to a lesser degree than the single-family houses.
“The protocols we are requiring for the commercial structures are not unlike those being designed for other commercial buildings,” explains Hills. “The goal is to get closer and closer to the desktop. All of the technology must be able to be configured and reconfigured for greater flexibility.”
While the development is still in its early stages, the builders are currently ironing out exactly what they will be offering. With this base of technology, the options are virtually endless. “Each builder has different structured wiring partners. We are leaving it up to the builder to decide what types of packages to offer, but we are definitely encouraging them in this area. The builders will be putting these packages together in the next few weeks,” says Adams. Hills believes a full spectrum of offerings will be provided by the builders—everything from networking, whole-house audio and home theater to security, automation and home controls.
Creating an Intranet to Create a Community
One of the other goals presented to TBG was creating a community intranet. “We are working on that now. We have three or four favored vendors we are looking at. One key to the service is it must link with the Internet provider,” says Reiman.
Adams hopes the intranet will grow with the community. “I think it will really pull the community together. A lot of people will be relocating and not have any family nearby. It will become a great place for people to meet each other, find playmates for their children or a running partner for themselves. It will be a great tool for residents to use,” she admits. Ultimately, she would like to see the builders put their warranty information and manuals on the intranet. Eventually, the intranet will probably also include e-commerce.
Another service that will be available to residents is a basic television video package. “We shopped that out and will offer it as part of the homeowners’ association fees. This isn’t a service the residents can opt out of. There will be at least 70 channels of basic service. They will be able to upgrade to the movie channels if they desire. It will be an easy installation for them since the fiber is already there; it eliminates the need for a technician to enter their home,” Adams adds.
What People Want
“The bandwidth availability at Brambleton will attract a much more savvy clientele,” predicts Hills. Adams adds, “People automatically expect high-speed Internet access. They absolutely want it. But the intranet and home networking are new to this area. We will have to show our residents the advantages of these services.”
Hills believes the number-one item today’s homeowners are most interested in is networking. “That’s the real hot ticket. After that, control and management and whole-house audio and entertainment are neck and neck. The term ‘home automation’ is getting a bad rap. We’re now calling it control and management. One example of this is when you open your garage door, a light path is automatically triggered to turn on,” he says.
Reiman adds, “Access to high-speed custom information is what people are interested in. They are trying to squeeze more bandwidth out of the current technology. In the next five to 10 years, that will only continue to grow. There will be more entertainment coming over on the Internet side of the home. People will increasingly need more bandwidth and much greater flexibility.
“Currently, subsystems don’t relate to each other. In the future that will change. For instance, when the security system is armed or disarmed, it should affect the HVAC system. This type of relationship will be key to the future.”
Staying Involved
As Brambleton moves along in the building process, TBG is working to stay involved and ensure the original goals of the Technology Master Plan are realized. “We want to ensure that the spirit of the project stays with it. We are working to create a way to evaluate the work of the wiring subcontractors. Typically on this type of project, we are on the board of directors. We want to force all parties involved to continue to focus on their similarities and differences. We do this through meetings and forums,” Reiman adds. THB Donna Englander is a freelance writer based in Massachusetts and California. You can email her at engcomm@earthlink.net.