private residence, leicester

Private Residence

Location:

Leicester, United Kingdom

Intelligent Building Solutions Used:

Key products:

System Integrator:DESIGN INNOVATION

Project summary:

The project involved upgrading the lighting system from halogen bulbs to LED lighting. With an existing KNX installation already in place, only the dimmers needed replacing with new LED-compatible ones.

The homeowner wanted to replace the existing energy-consuming halogen bulbs with LED lighting to reduce energy consumption and lower running costs. The transition to LED lighting is known for its higher energy efficiency and longer lifespan, making it an appealing choice for cost savings. 

By replacing only the dimmers, the goal was to maintain compatibility and functionality with the existing KNX installation while achieving the desired LED lighting benefits. The project was executed efficiently within a couple of days, thanks to the existing KNX infrastructure.

After the installation, thorough testing and configuration were performed to ensure proper functionality and seamless operation of the upgraded KNX system with LED lighting. This step ensured that the lighting controls and dimming functionalities were working optimally. 

The project’s success was attributed to the ease of integration provided by the existing KNX infrastructure and the availability of LED-compatible KNX dimmers.

Photography: Steve Edwards Photography

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LUXURY FAMILY HOME

Private Residence

Location:

Primrose Hill, London, United Kingdom

Intelligent Building Solutions Used:

Key products:

System Integrator: WAVE CONTROLS

Project summary:

The most important element of this project was to ensure that the home automation system was easy for the family to use and customise as required. With over 150 lighting circuits, 15 zones of heating and cooling throughout the home and motorised curtains and blinds on every window, KNX was the best choice for the control system.

At the top layer of control, the Gira HomeServer provides visualisation of every part of the KNX system. The status of every lighting circuit in the house can be checked from the app, as well the position of the blinds in every room, the temperatures and the current mode of the heating and cooling systems. A sensor in the bathroom tells the occupant if they’ve left the bathroom window open. If so, it can be closed with a button press on the Gira app.

At 670 square meters, this home features 5 bedrooms all with an en-suite, an 8-seat cinema featuring a Dolby Atmos sound system and a 4K projector, as well as an extensive basement with a wine cellar, gym, golf simulator and swimming pool. The ground floor living space also features a TV concealed by moving panels and invisible speakers.

All of the lighting circuits were trimmed to 80% brightness using KNX dimmers, which while barely noticeable to the human eye, amount to considerable energy savings for the owners.

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LONDON PENTHOUSE

Private Residence

Location:

London, United Kingdom

Intelligent Building Solutions Used:

Key products:

System Integrator: WAVE CONTROLS

Project summary:

This client wanted to have complete control of their environment through one easy-to-use solution with a modern and intuitive user interface.

When Wave Controls were told of the aesthetic design brief for a modern and minimalist look that included electrical outlets to match the wall-mounted keypads, they didn’t hesitate to specify a Gira KNX solution. The choice of the Gira E22 range of aluminium switch plates and electrical outlets met with instant approval from the client and their design team.

The complexity of the five systems for climate control (underfloor heating, electric matt, trench heaters, gas fireplace and fan-coil units) and the inevitable solar gain from the impressive seven-meter floor-to-ceiling windows, was easily overcome by the use of KNX, which enables all of the devices to communicate with each other and maintain the desired temperature throughout the apartment.

Using KNX allowed Wave Controls to source the best products for each particular function from a wide selection of manufacturers. By choosing to install certified KNX products, the client was guaranteed to have the interoperability they wanted. All of the products used in this project, even though they were from different manufacturers, work together because they communicate in the same programming language, and are unified in a single software programming tool – ETS.

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CONTEMPORARY Family Home

Private Residence

Location:

Surrey, United Kingdom

Intelligent Building Solutions Used:

Key products:

System Integrator: indigozest

Project summary:

The owners of this stunning architecturally designed home in Surrey had a very clear vision for a contemporary home that included smart home automation while also blending into the surroundings. The smart home solutions delivered by the integrator, IndigoZest, are both sensitive to the building style and deliver a seamless living experience.

The overarching home automation platform is Control4 with KNX used to give the flexibility required for the integration of each different solution. All of the social spaces feature in-ceiling speakers, TVs, motorised blinds, lighting and heating control.

The lighting is controlled with Theben DM 8-2 T dimmer modules as well as internal and external PIRs which were programmed to provide low-level lighting when activated at night. The front-end lighting control is via a mixture of Zennio TMD 4 keypads with custom icons, and Zennio Z35 touchpanels with programmed icons for lighting scenes and individual light load control.

The blinds and curtains throughout the property are controlled with Theben JM 8 T blind modules, which are operated via the custom icons on the Zennio keypads within the room, or via the Control4 touch screens and mobile app.

The Basement Cinema was designed with the family’s needs in mind and has become a much-used space by the whole family with plenty of children’s movie parties and adult sporting events viewed from the comfort of the 6-seater cinema design or from the bar at the back which created another use for the room.

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WHITEFIELDS

Private Residence

Location:

Christchurch, New Zealand

Intelligent Building Solutions Used:

Key products:

System Integrator: WAKEFIELD ELECTRICAL

Project summary:

This older family house was traditionally wired, which can be hard to change. The house is built on piles, with good access from below so providing new cabling was possible to the ground floor rooms. KNX was the obvious choice to bring together all the features in a single simple control.

Based on the Basalte Home concept, the Ellie screen and brass Sentido keypads give a rich style to the front of the living space for lighting, shading, louvre air conditioning and audio control. Multiple scenes have been set up by the owner for lighting and shading. The blinds and curtains close as night draws in, and outside lighting in the loggia and garden provide an atmospheric ambience every day.

The owners replaced a high-wall air conditioning unit with ducted heating supplied through brass floor grills that match the keypads. The heating system creates a comfortable warmth throughout the house that is carefully regulated to keep an even temperature without a drafty feeling. The Basalte home interface makes it easy to efficiently control the temperature at different times of the day.

High-quality audio from the turntable and Tidal streaming service fills the room from the elegant Basalte Aalto floor standing speakers that have a slightly retro-Parisian feel about them.

Automatic lighting in the bathroom and toilet gives an easy hands-free experience. With clever use of an under-cabinet LED strip, the fixtures float on a subtle glow when entered at night.

Humidity and time-dependent fans in the bathrooms and laundry make it super easy to remove damp air and smells automatically.

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photos by: nick grant

Manawatu ehaus

Private Residence

Location:

Manawatu, New Zealand

Intelligent Building Solutions Used:

Key products:

System Integrator: VAAV

Project summary:

This large, award-winning, contemporary home utilises a KNX automation system to make it easy for the owners to control different aspects of the building, such as lighting, heating from one location, while also maximising the building’s energy efficiency through daylight harvesting.

The main living areas, entry and corridors of the home and also all outdoor areas are controlled by the KNX automation system.

The indoor temperature is continually monitored, and the system automatically adjusts the underfloor heating levels to ensure the optimal temperature inside. The scullery and hallway lights are controlled via sensors that determine whether a person is in the area (moving or present) then based on a set lux level will switch certain lights on, and switch them off again when there is no one in the area.

Everything in the automation system can be controlled or modified from the on-wall touchscreen or via a smartphone app whether locally, or via a secure connection, from anywhere in the world. For example, the homeowner can check to see if the house has been turned off, or adjust the underfloor temperature set point.

Key Drivers for using Building Intelligence in this project:

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photos by: Andy Kruy

ALBA

Residential Apartment Block

Location:

Brisbane, Australia

Intelligent Building Solutions Used:

Key products:

System Integrator: Power Integration

Project summary:

This project required a lighting control system that was integrated with the intercom and was future-proofed so that it is able to work with the air conditioning, blinds and anything else that any of the future apartment owners want to install.

The developer wanted the solution to be simple and intuitive to use as well as elegant to look at.

Power Integration chose an ABB touchscreen to manage the KNX lighting control as well as an ABB intercom system for the whole building. All of the switches are a classic style with push buttons and an Ivory Egg mesh-connect in the switch to enable them to talk to the KNX system.

The end result is an elegant looking automated lighting control system that has the intercom integrated into the touchscreen as well as being able to handle AC control, blinds and any other functions as required.

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Hale nui

Private Residence

Location:

Northern Suburbs – Sydney, Australia

Intelligent Building Solutions Used:

Key products:

System Integrator: INCONTROL AUTOMATION

Project summary:

The Hale Nui Project is a private residence boasting some of the most advanced building technology to seamlessly control the 5 bedroom 6 bathroom home.

The KNX and Basalte system controls not only the lighting, blinds, air-conditioning, heating, toilet flushes and audio, but also directly integrates into the incoming energy supply to ensure the home never draws too much load from the grid.

To combat this, the home is fitted with a 12kW PV array attached to a complete off-grid battery backup system, which is monitored by KNX Energy meters sending out notifications to the owner and system integrator prior to switching off non-essential loads, known as load shedding.

The project was not without its challenges, this was a difficult renovation with few architectural plans, an everchanging scope of works, and was completed from 2020 to Mid-2021 when COVID was at its peak in Australia.

In Control Automation was lucky to be working on this project with a dedicated Team “Hitch Electrical” and “Immaculate Constructions” and a very understanding and easy going homeowner.

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Minimalist Style Family Home

Private Residence

Location:

Camden, London, UK

Intelligent Building Solutions Used:

Key products:

System Integrator: Wave Controls

Project summary:

This project was the second time Wave Controls had worked on this family home.

Originally when the client moved in Lutron was installed. Due to incompatibility issues with LED fittings, Lutron was replaced with KNX. At the time, as it was not possible to alter the existing cabling, so KNX RF products were used to enable the required functionality.

When the time came to refurb the property, the brief was to create a minimalist, Scandinavian-style home, with clean lines and bright open spaces.

As the client was already familiar with Gira and enjoyed the benefits of KNX the renovation process provided the perfect opportunity to run KNX cable and upgrade the KNX RF solution to a hard-wired KNX installation, including the use of the new Gira Pushbutton Sensor 4 keypad.

The finished system needed to be intuitive, complement the interior design and use concealed technology wherever possible with a minimal amount of control locations

For the heating control, floor temperature probes were installed to protect the polished cement floor.

A Samsung Frame TV was included as a discreet, cost-effective way to conceal the TV and Sonance Invisible series speakers were installed above the TV and Dining table for premium audio throughout the expansive open-plan kitchen/living space.

Project Photography by Rachael Smith Photography

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Sirius building

77 apartments (1-4 beds) & 4 SoHo apartments (single occupant home offices)

Location:

Sydney, Australia

Intelligent Building Solutions Used:

Key products:

System Integrator: mySmart

System Design: In Control Automation

Project summary:

Offering simplistic elegance with best of bread technology and sophistication there was no question that Sirius the Rocks had to be a Basalte KNX project.

KNX allowed for native integration of the lighting, energy management, and the whole building’s centralised HVAC system, whilst ensuring each apartment was future-proofed for the owner’s customisation and additions.

Basalte Home made it possible to amalgamate both the building’s centralised services and individual apartment services into a simplistic but comprehensive user interface for the client.

The images shown here are of the demo suite.

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