All of us like to shape our living space to reflect our character and personal taste. Some are talented enough to start from scratch with a blank canvas and create a dream home using state-of-the-art technology. But few of us are brave enough to ignore tradition, tear up the rule book and create a whole [...]

It’s no dream. Intelligent buildings have come a long way in the last few decades. Time was when an infra-red control over blinds and electric devices seemed state-of-the-art. That is now almost Dark Ages technology. Today sensors can be built into the fabric of a building to sense light, sound or even motion, and operate switches. Move from one room to the next and lights will come on ahead of you. Go to bed and all the electrical devices on stand-by will automatically turn off to save electricity.

When Jimmy Tarbuck is not busy entertaining audiences in the UK, there’s just one place he wants to be: Quinta do Lago.