Regina Vaicekonyte, VP of Health Sciences at Delos, writes about Delos’ DARWIN Premier, and how it delivers the next level of health and wellness in luxury real estate.
Controlling key environmental parameters of a home, such as lighting, temperature, audio/video, and HVAC, is nothing new. Control systems to adjust them have been around for a while, and have been evolving rapidly with the rise of IoT (Internet of Things) devices and smart home assistants. However, the idea of using one integrated, intelligent platform to continuously monitor and control all of these parameters to create a healthy home—and elevate the health of its residents—is authentic.
We spend 90% of our time indoors, with the majority of it spent at home—the ambient conditions of which can influence nearly every aspect of our health and well-being, from our mood and energy levels, to how well we sleep, to how we feel and perform throughout the day. So why not make our home environments as healthy as possible?
Introducing DARWIN Premier™ Health Starts At Home
Delos—a global wellness leader with a mission to enhance health and well-being in the spaces where we live, work, learn, and play—is elevating luxury living to a whole new level with DARWIN Premier. A wellness ecosystem tailored to each individual property, DARWIN Premier combines products, features, technologies, and services to create and maintain indoor environmental conditions that are designed to enhance health, well-being, and performance. DARWIN Premier integrates best-in-class solutions in air purification, water filtration, circadian lighting, thermal comfort, acoustic control, and ergonomic design, offering unparalleled home environmental quality that serves to protect and maintain the health of the residents. Engaging the advantages of IoT, it is designed to integrate seamlessly with leading home automation systems such as Crestron and Lutron, to help make smart homes healthy.
DARWIN Premier is the result of evidence-based science and artful integration. Delos’ health, behavioral, and building scientists have combined their knowledge on the health impact of indoor environments to develop a research-based solution designed to enhance human health, well-being, and comfort. Our expert team of designers and technicians collaborate to infuse our scientifically-grounded technologies throughout residences without disrupting the architectural integrity, overlaying a wellness ecosystem tailored to the lifestyle and design aesthetic of our clients. We anticipate every detail to deliver a seamless experience in wellness luxury.
DARWIN Premier Wellness Concepts and Benefits
Air quality monitoring and purification: Air constantly flows into homes and is subject to a wide range of pollutants, both from outdoor air as well as from source contaminants within the home. Effectively managing indoor air quality through ventilation and air purification can help reduce the levels of pollutants, as well as their associated short-term symptoms and long-term health effects.
DARWIN Premier air quality sensors continuously monitor the quality of indoor air throughout the home, including particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), carbon dioxide, temperature, and humidity. Advanced air purification is installed in-duct, capable of trapping and removing pollutants, allergens, and infectious particles from the indoor air. The air quality sensors and HVAC system are connected, allowing ventilation to kick into high gear if a spike in one or more of the monitored contaminants is detected anywhere in the home, thus helping ensure great indoor air quality at all times. Residents are also informed about outdoor air quality in their location, via integrated Breezometer data. Both indoor and outdoor air quality information is displayed on the DARWIN app.
Whole-home water filtration: Access to water that is clear of inorganic, organic, and biological contaminants is essential for maintaining optimal health. Unfortunately, water is vulnerable to a range of pollutants that are harmful to our health.
DARWIN Premier water filters are installed at point-of-entry/point-of-use to provide clean water throughout the home. Filtration products are customized to each home based on site-specific data as well as on-site water quality testing, to ensure that impurities, chemicals, and other contaminants specific to each residence are efficiently addressed.
Circadian lighting: All animals, including humans, are governed by circadian rhythms—internal body clocks synchronized by light that control many aspects of our physiology, metabolism, and behavior, including our sleep-wake cycle. Exposure to light that is in tune with the solar day helps to maintain healthy and robust circadian rhythms, which in turn helps us sleep better and feel and perform at our best. 
Dynamic lighting is installed throughout the residence, and is calibrated to the location, delivering light that simulates the light outdoors based on the time of day. Residents can also adjust the color and intensity of light based on their needs or preferences, with the ability to select lighting scenes that help to relax, energize or focus (which also feature temperature and sound components). While indoor lighting can be easily controlled, it is also important to be able to minimize exposure to light from the outdoors through fenestrations. Blackout blinds are part of the DARWIN Premier package, and help to eliminate outdoor light pollution, promoting complete darkness and deeper sleep throughout the night.
Additionally, DARWIN Premier includes dawn simulation, with light gradually increasing and blackout shades rising automatically in the morning to help residents wake up naturally and comfortably. Temperature and acoustic components complement the lighting of dawn simulation, with the temperature rising slightly from its night-time levels, and nature sounds starting to play at the set desired wake-up time.
Comfort: Ergonomics and comfort directly impact our physical and mental state. With more than 1 in 3 Americans not getting enough sleep, mattress comfort and quality are essential for supporting optimal nighttime rest. DARWIN Premier includes a heat-dissipating natural memory foam mattress, which provides pressure relief and contouring support for maximum comfort.
A Home Is Not Smart if It’s Not Healthy
Smart home technology is designed for efficiency and functionality, all with a simple click or swipe on a touchscreen display. DARWIN Premier adds a whole new dimension through solutions designed to elevate the quality and comfort of the home environment and to passively enhance health and well-being—helping to evolve smart homes into healthy homes. Integrating responsive, best-in-class products to monitor and provide improved indoor environmental conditions throughout the residence and offering unparalleled access to the world’s leading custom healthy home services, DARWIN Premier is the next generation solution in luxury living.
Reach out to the team at Delos by clicking the phone or email icons to the right (or below if you are on a mobile device).
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