News & Events

Montreal, March 1, 2016: The Notman House, together with Distech Controls and the City of Montreal, today announced the launch of its #HACKtheHOUSE series. This collaborative project will leverage the strength of the local innovation community to transform Notman’s heritage, downtown Montreal location into a true Internet of Things building. The series will pull from the technologies and knowledge of local and international tech talent, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and developer communities to make Notman House smarter, more connected, and efficient. Participants of this sustainable building innovation ecosystem include Google for Entrepreneurs, reelyActive, MySeat, ÉcoHack, mnubo, Lab Zed, Ubios, DASBOX, TUBÀ, Periodic, and more.

The first of the #HACKtheHOUSE event series, scheduled for the weekend of March 11-13, will bring the collaborators together with thought leaders to plan the creation of the first ever open-source space utilizing the most dynamic technologies available today.

“This project started when the Notman House team was looking for a way to create a more personalized experience for our residents and visitors, while also highlighting the incredible talent emerging in the Montreal ecosystem,” said Noah Redler, Notman House Campus Director. “We realized that none of the off-the-shelf solutions responded to our needs or budget. Once we were approached by the Distech Controls team to find ways to collaborate using the API on their ECLYPSE IP-based building automation controllers, the #HACKtheHOUSE concept truly took form. We now have over 20 partners involved in this project, and numerous local innovation community organizations and startups – this is a true community project,” added Redler. 

This news builds on the fall 2015 announcement that Distech Controls provided ECLYPSE™, its award-winning, IP-based building automation solution and ENVYSION responsive, web-based design and visualization interface, to Notman House. 
“Notman House is a true representation of Montreal’s world-class innovative spirit,” said Jean-Lou Paquet, Chief Financial Officer, Distech Controls. “We are thrilled to be partnering with them so as to provide its network of inspiring technology entrepreneurs with a cutting-edge environment. We are confident that, through Distech Controls’ contribution to the vibrant ecosystem that Notman House has built, our collaboration will successfully bolster innovation throughout the building automation and energy management sector,” added Paquet.

The #HACKtheHOUSE series will consist of four weekend-long hackathons, transforming Notman House into a showcase for the incredible technological solutions being developed all over the world. 

Introductory Media Event: March 2, 2016
This first event, introducing the project to media, will also provide participants and partners with their first opportunity to exchange ideas and learn about the tools that will be made available to them as the series progresses.

#HACKtheHOUSE 1 - The Body: March 11, 12, 13 weekend 
The first #HACKtheHOUSE will focus on making the various hardware and software solutions work together, providing a more personalized experience to the ‘smart’ building users (renters, visitors).

#HACKtheHOUSE 2 - The Heart: June 11, 12, 13 weekend
This hackathon will challenge participants to create a centralized operating system that will act as the link between the various technologies: a type of WordPress CMS whereby widgets and APIs can add functionality.

#HACKtheHOUSE 3 - The Brain: September 2016 (TBD)
The Brain edition will add an analytical aspect to the project. The purpose of this hackathon is to generate tools that will allow building owners to better plan, manage, and maintain their buildings by understanding how people use the space, and where improvements can be made. 

#HACKtheHOUSE 4 - The Central Nervous System: November 2016 (TBD)
In the final edition of #HACKtheHOUSE 2016, participants and partners will work to bring everything together, making the project fully functional. This will truly provide a comprehensive understanding as to the power of the tools built throughout the series. 

Presentation of Results: Early December 2016 (TBD)
The closing event of the year will showcase all that the #HACKtheHOUSE series has accomplished throughout 2016. A media demo of the Notman Smart House project will highlight how the various technologies employed throughout the building hold the power to make any space more intelligent. 

For additional details, media and the general public are invited to attend the March 2 information session at 5:30 PM at the Notman House. To register, visit: http://tinyurl.com/hackthehouse.

An official press conference will be held on March 11, at the opening of the first #HACKtheHOUSE event.