Not many houses can combine good aesthetics with AI - but House BE in the Belgian landscape is an exception.
It is a marvelous example of the seamless integration of automation technology with contemporary living. The property expands over 1000 sq. km and is constructed from concrete, bricks, and wood.
Designed by A20 architects and infusing the technical prowess of Woelf, it emphasizes indoor-outdoor living and won the integrated Home Level IV award at the 2022 CEDIA awards and EMIA. Technical integrators and architects collaborated to enhance comfort, security, and enjoyment without sacrificing the design aesthetics.
According to a KNX Solution Today report, the owners envisioned developing an interface for multiple platforms, including remotes, touch screens, and personal devices.
KNX and Control4 Integration
What is KNX?
The efficient management of heat, lighting, and access control is crucial for energy usage in homes and offices. Automation allows people to experience a comfortable, safe, and sustainable place to live and work.
Intelligent control and monitoring of products are required to achieve all this with minimal energy consumption.KNX helps people achieve the automation dream. It solves issues related to installation and control efforts. KNX works on the principle of interworking through a uniform system and can also be integrated with other automation systems.
- KNX ensures compliance with the highest security requirements without requiring any extra effort or system from professionals.
- It’s easy to use with only one tool for the interface. This saves time, and clients can take control of things at home and in the office.
- KNX solution can be implemented for older or new systems, new or existing buildings, and family houses or large buildings.
- It also helps clients improve their business and allows them to join a big community, including training centers, member companies, system integrators, etc.
KNX is perfect for controlling different solutions from one place and with one system.
What Is Control 4
Control 4 is a smart home operating system that lets people easily control almost all the devices in their homes or offices.
Control 4 OS 3 helps create the modern smart home with touchscreen, keypad, voice, and app access.
- With Control 4 Smart Lightening, one can turn on/off the entire house lighting while leaving or coming back. Users can also start a playlist in any room, get feedback if any unlocked door is left, and enjoy automated lights.
- One can view and greet the guests, unlock the door, turn on the lights, and accept deliveries when out automatically with Control 4 Smart House.
- It enables remote access to the camera, lights, and door locks. It also provides access to voice control and other tools to personalize a smart home.
Control 4 OS is the best way to control things in and around the home from anywhere. It’s a perfect medium to design the intelligent home of one’s dreams.
Integrating Both in the House BE
The integration team for House BE in Belgium decided to use both systems (KNX and Control 4).
KNX is used for comfort applications such as lighting and HAVC, and Control 4 for A/V integration and overall home control.
KNX became their first choice due to its reputation as an open, multi-platform protocol that allows using preferred brands and technologies for backend systems.
They picked Control 4 as it provided an easy-to-use interface with its T4 Series touchscreens and NEEO remotes. It was consistent across all devices and matched the clients' design preferences.
Serving Client’s Purpose
The Control 4 was seamlessly connected with KNX using the KNX routing Gateway driver with a multicast connection.
Basalte Senitdo’s four-way keypad was used to automate and manually control the lighting and shading.
The Control 4 integration was also helpful in automating the audio system in the house, featuring 21 audio zones with in-ceiling speakers and access to Airplay and Tuneln. Using Triad amplifiers allows a high-resolution playback. The users could experience quality and powerful audio in every room.
The video system was attained using Binary’s MOIP 4K Ultra HD Media instead of the IP system. This ensured flexibility in the video distribution in different areas of the house and enabled an adequate video quality.
The team had control over all the sensors and detectors. This was achieved by integrating Control 4 with the IP-based system.
Shading implementation was both manual and automatic. All the curtains were automatically closed when the alarm was turned on to save energy with KNX automation. The integration of HVAC with Control 4 eliminated the need for separate thermostats.
The purpose of all these implementations was to enhance the user experience. This successful integration was designed to satisfy the client’s demands. Besides serving this purpose, it also set new standards for smart home design. This project exemplifies how technology can enhance living spaces without compromising comfort, style, and safety.
Conclusion
The House BE in Belgium represents a new approach and forward thinking toward home design. It will inspire many others in the future to collaborate with technicians, architects, and homeowners and create a dream house with the latest automated tools in the most applicable ways.
