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Despite lower attendance numbers than the previous year’s show, the 2008 International Builders’ Show marked another successful year in Orlando, FL with its highly attended education sessions and extensive product showcase attracting more than 92,000 attendees, according to IBS sponsor, The National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB).

This dip in attendance in its final year in sunny Orlando was felt by an industry that has been rallying against the effects of the meltdown in the subprime mortgage market since the market unraveled late last summer.

However, many of the more than 1,900 exhibitors reported having quality traffic. And speakers such as Chief Economists David Seiders (NAHB), Frank Nothaft (Freddie Mac) and David Berson (PMI Group) were predicting cautious optimism about recovery and the economy. The trio forecast more vigorous economic growth following tax rebates by mid-year that will set up a recovery beginning in 2009. “The vast bulk of the housing contraction is behind us,” Seiders asserted.

The trio also presented housing and economic forecasts that project no recession at all, despite numerous reports of one. However, Seiders did say one could be likely, and things could spiral downward from this point, but the stabilization process is the key to recovery in the housing sector.

“We’re happy that the economic stimulus package is being signed into law, happy with what the Federal Reserve is doing, but we may need even more strenuous legislation to help the housing situation,” Seiders added.

To that end, following President Bush’s signing of H.R. 5140, the Economic Stimulus Package of 2008 during a press conference on February 13, the NAHB continues to work around the clock on Capitol Hill to encourage Congress to enact housing incentives, broad GSE reform and FHA modernization. The association has even taken out ads in support of these steps in all DC and Capitol Hill newspapers.

Even President Bush called on Congress during the press conference to do the same: “Congress can also help by passing legislation to reform the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to modernize the Federal Housing Administration, and to allow state housing agencies to issue tax-free bonds to help homeowners refinance their mortgages. I hope that Congress can act on these matters quickly.”

In addition, others with a stake in the housing market also stepped up to put pressure on the federal government to aid the industry while thousands of building and design professionals were at the IBS.

For example, keynote speaker Mary Matalin announced to the crowd at the grand opening ceremony of the 2008 IBS in Orlando, FL that in support of the housing industry Camp Hill, PA-based PA Partners’ “leadership has declined to give any further contributions to any politicians at the Federal level until they do something on behalf of your industry… This is a first because the way to a politician’s heart had been to up the ante, but to pull it back should have some interesting effects.” (To listen to Mary Matalin and James Carville’s comments at the IBS 2008 Grand Opening Ceremony, click here. Editor’s Note: This audio file is no longer available for listening.)

Also read KBDN’s 2008 Forecast. In addition, read Eliot Sefrin’s 1/08 editorial, The Sky is Far from Falling in ’08.

For more 2008 IBS news, and upcoming K/BIS Chicago news, go to www.KitchenBathDesign.com. Be sure to sign up for the site’s annual trio of K/BIS eNewsletters.

For more breaking news also visit the Top Headlines and Live Events sections.

More than 92,000 building professionals gathered at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL to visit more than 1,900 exhibitors at the 2008 International Builder’s Show.

Political analysts Mary Matalin (left) and James Carville (right) spoke to the crowd during the 2008 IBS Grand Opening Ceremony.

Chief Economists David Seiders (NAHB), Frank Nothaft (Freddie Mac) and David Berson (PMI Group) were predicting cautious optimism about recovery and the economy during the 2008 IBS.

The Kitchen & Bath Confidential blog will feature live reports from the 2008 International Builders’ Show (IBS) Feb. 13-16 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

Starting the week of Feb. 13 and throughout the show and educational conference, we’ll be posting audio, pictures and text, live from the show floor. Check back here each day for show sights and sounds and analysis of the latest IBS product and design trends. And don’t forget to check out our Live Events and Top Headlines sections for up-to-the-minute news and event details, all live from the show floor.

For instance, the blog, along with the Live Events and Top Headlines sections, will contain details about the show’s emphasis on green design and building this year, which will culminate in the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) recognition of the phenomenal growth of green building as it celebrates Green Day on Thursday, Feb. 14. On that day the association, which hosts the show, will officially launch the NAHB National Green Building Program, and will unveil the new Certified Green Professional educational designation for home builders, remodelers, kitchen and bath designers and other industry professionals.

The day will also include a full slate of green educational seminars on topics ranging from market trends and consumer research to innovative design and new products. Information about the 10th annual NAHB National Green Building Conference will also be available. Noted green architect and educator William McDonough is the featured speaker Thursday morning, and will also conduct an in-depth session on “Cradle to Grave” environmentally and ecologically efficient building practices.

Four press conferences will highlight the new NAHB National Green Building Program, the National Green Building Standard and green trends, and will also offer a detailed look at The New American Home, NAHB’s official showcase home, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. It’s also the first show home certified by the NAHB National Green Building Program.

With all of that going on and more at this year’s IBS, we hope you’ll join us online – it’s the next best thing to being there!

Popular notion holds that today’s home automation means some lighting and temperature control, while automated appliances remain part of a Jetsons-like future we’ve never quite achieved. However, the future was achieved at this year’s NextGen Demonstration Home, showcased during the 2007 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS). The entire home was equipped with remote and touch panels that powered a home automation system called Life|ware 2.0 from Exceptional innovation.

Life|ware 2.0 controlled everything from the appliances and the lighting to the home’s security, ushering what was termed “a new level of digital living” into the kitchen and throughout the home. It is a digital entertainment and automation solution that expands a homeowner’s ability to manage subsystems and appliances via Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center to create a comprehensive digital living experience. The home automation solution is powered by its use of Web Services for Devices (WSD) to communicate between different home systems.

By integrating Life|ware into Media Center, a user’s entire music collection, complete with album art, can be accessed on screen. It’s also possible to view slide shows of digital photos, schedule and record favorite TV programs, retrieve home videos and watch DVDs. Life|ware also gives homeowners the power to control a home’s lighting, thermostat and security systems, distribute music throughout the house, and enact homeowner-defined “Life|scenes.”

In addition, the home automation solution also allows remote access and management of a home’s systems through a TV with a Media Center PC, Media Center Extender or Xbox 360, from a home or office PC or notebook from a Life|point touch panel or from a wireless device like an Ultra Mobile PC.

The NextGen Home also showed the result of the partnership between LG and Life|ware: Life|ware Connected appliances that employ an adapter module that makes an appliance Life|ware Connected, thereby allowing homeowners to check the status of appliances and adjust functions to better suit their schedule.

Other high-tech touches the NextGen Home showcased included a one-touch refreshment dispenser in the kitchen and a mirror that also served as a nightlight in both baths.

Look for more information about this in the upcoming issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. And log onto Live Events and Consumer Resources. In addition, try logging onto http://www.securityinfowatch.com/ for more information about home automation systems and home security.    

(Be sure to log onto KitchenBathDesign.com for Kitchen & Bath Design News’ coverage of the 2007 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) in Las Vegas. Log onto the home page to visit the Live Events, Top Headlines, Project Spotlight and Consumer Resources sections, and Product Gallery. And don’t forget to sign up for our eNewsletters that will cover other upcoming industry shows.)    

The NextGen Home’s home automation solution was demonstrated.

As the kitchen gets greener and cleaner, the kitchen is becoming more digital than ever before. This could be seen in the wide range of products on display at the 2007 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) in Las Vegas equipped with high-tech or “smart” features that turned the kitchen into the digital control center of the home, including energy-efficient, function-packed appliance suites controlled by intuitive LED touch screens, kitchen and bath cabinetry with soft-close and one-touch-open features, hands-free faucets, feature-rich plumbing fixtures and high-tech lighting systems.

Many of these high-tech gadgets and appliances were found in the Digital Entertainment Kitchen presented in the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) Industry Trends Marketplace. It included such seamlessly integrated digital components as a HP TouchSmart PC on a lazy Susan located on the main island and a centralpark-connected refrigerator from Whirlpool Corp. that allows users to dock CE-based devices such as digital picture frames, satellite radios, MP3 players, DVD systems, tablet computers and more.

The display also brought to life the results of the Digital Kitchen Study, a cross-industry collaboration involving leading members of the CABA Internet Home Alliance Research Council including Whirlpool Corp., Bell Canada, Cisco Systems, Inc., Direct Energy, HP, HomeCrest Cabinetry, Intel Corp., Microsoft, the NKBA and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Together, they form a network of companies dedicated to advancing the home technology market.

The Council’s study, conducted by Zanthus, a research and consulting firm, was intended to determine the consumer electronics and appliances already in use in American kitchens and what new products or services homeowners would like to add to their kitchens in the future. The study was based on a survey that reached 602 homeowners between the ages of 25 and 64 who have broadband Internet access and household incomes of more than $35,000 per year.

The survey results suggest that most consumers are looking for functionality and control from their kitchens, rather than entertainment. But while most respondents showed little interest in watching movies or playing video games in the kitchen, they do still want a TV there. The study found that 33% of homeowners currently watch TV in the kitchen, 43% want to watch TV in their ideal kitchen and 51% of respondents planning to remodel their kitchens in 2007 intend to include a TV.

As a result of the survey, Blue Arnold, CKD, CBD of Kitchens by Request, Inc. in Jarrettsville, MD, designed the “ideal” digital kitchen that featured the following innovations:

• Digital Calendar. The survey found that the primary kitchen user is also the primary schedule keeper, and a digital calendar was the most preferred concept of the 22 concepts tested. Those surveyed reported wanting a calendar on a large screen that allows users to add appointments and post notes that everyone in the household can see and access, whether from the kitchen or via the Internet.
• Recipe Projection System. Eight in 10 of those surveyed said they cook for enjoyment, and 64% do so at least several times per week. Consumers reported wanting a wireless recipe projection system that would allow them to look up a recipe online, or even say aloud what they want to cook, and then have the recipe projected onto a surface in the kitchen from a small, cabinet-mounted device.
• Energy Usage Monitoring and Control System. Those surveyed reported wanting to monitor energy consumption by area (family room, swimming pool, etc.) and appliance (hot water heater, etc.); to monitor energy usage by circuit; to chart peak energy usage times; to diagnose areas of wasted energy; and to calculate energy costs. This concept was most popular in the West where California recently became the first state in the nation to impose an emissions cap on utilities, refineries and factories.
• Home Control Station. Consumers want a home control station in their kitchen that allows them to manage their HVAC and security systems easily. Specifically, they requested a screen where they can view the temperature inside and outside of their home, adjust the thermostat on a touch pad and view live video of both the front and back of their house. This functionality was equally appealing to households with and without children.
• Universal Charging Station. Consumers reported wanting to charge up to three cell phones or PDAs simultaneously, regardless of brand or model. One-third of households reported that they currently keep their cell phones on the kitchen counter, and one-half said they keep their phone chargers there, too. Consumers would like a universal charging station so everyone can charge their phones in the spot where their phones and chargers are usually kept.
• Wireless Internet Access. Consumers reported wanting to have a wireless network in their home so they can have wireless Internet access in all rooms, including the kitchen. Twenty-nine percent of all homeowners and 43% of those remodeling their homes want to surf the Web while in the kitchen. Consumers reported wanting Internet access for e-mailing and Web surfing and don’t want to use a PC in the kitchen for offline applications. Wired Internet access is not desired; just 5% of homeowners said they wanted wired Internet access in their kitchen.
  Arnold further interpreted the results to mean that consumers want technology to be accessible, but not the focal point of their rooms. Thus, she placed the cabinetry in shadow boxes with the technology nested within it. There are touch screens for control, and the computer on the lazy Susan can be easily accessed by family members from both sides of the island.

Look for more information about this in the upcoming 6/07 issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. And log onto Live Events, and Consumer Resources.