Competition of Pride Among Construction Companies Including Research Institute Establishment
Changes in Residential Trends Aiming for a High-Quality Life
[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Wanyong] Control lighting, heating, and ventilation in your home by voice. AI analyzes residents' living patterns to provide or automatically execute customized environments. No need to remember parking locations. The parking location is automatically saved on your smartphone. This is the cutting-edge 'Smart Home System' technology showcased in recently built apartments.
According to the construction industry on the 10th, complexes applying smart home systems are emerging as a standard for luxury apartments. Even within the same area, there is a phenomenon where house prices differ by hundreds of millions of won depending on whether the apartment is newly built with a smart home system or an older building.
In fact, as of September this year, the average price per household for apartments nationwide was highest for newly built apartments completed 1 to 5 years ago at 953.33 million won. Next, apartments completed 6 to 10 years ago were priced at 786.86 million won, and older apartments over 10 years old were 679.04 million won. The price gap between new and old apartments was 274.29 million won, which widened by more than 30 million won compared to September 2020 (241.19 million won) over two years.
The price gap by apartment age is closely related to changes in residential trends. Recently, homebuyers tend to prefer a convenient and high-quality life even if they pay more. As a result, demand is concentrated on recently supplied apartments well equipped with smart home systems.
A real estate industry official said, “Smart home systems greatly enhance convenience in daily life, so they are highly preferred by actual users,” adding, “In the sales market, the number of real buyers who carefully check whether a smart home system is installed is increasing.”
Domestic patent applications related to smart homes have also increased significantly. According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office, domestic applications related to smart homes, which were only 56 in 2009, jumped to 140 last year. Looking at the accumulated patent scale in detailed technology fields, 'smart home appliances' accounted for the largest share with 510 cases (40.5%), followed by 'healthcare' with 289 cases (23.0%), 'security services' with 254 cases (20.2%), and 'smart power control' with 205 cases (16.3%).
A pride battle among construction companies is also underway. Some have established research institutes for independent research, while others are showcasing smart home technologies through collaboration with startups.
First, Samsung C&T began targeting the smart home market by unveiling 'Raemian Home Lab' in 2018 and continues to focus on technology development by partnering with collaborators. Last year, it introduced a specialized space unique to Raemian through the 'Raemian RAI Life Center,' which expanded the application of artificial intelligence (AI).
Hyundai Construction shares smart-related technologies with Hyundai Motor Group affiliates and enhances housing operation and management efficiency through integrated platform operation. The Home to Car and Car to Home services introduced last year were developed together with Hyundai Motor Group. Using built-in voice recognition devices, users can remotely control their homes and cars.
GS Construction has long established the 'Xi Artificial Intelligence (AI) Platform' and is showcasing technology that combines AI and smart homes, while POSCO Construction offers the AIQ TECH smart home system for multi-family housing, providing advanced services such as AI voice recognition, smart access management, and intelligent video analysis.
Hoban Construction established its subsidiary 'Plan H Ventures' and is introducing smart home systems through collaboration by discovering and nurturing startups.
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