KNX Awards 2024: 15th edition spotlights the best in smart home and building automation

During the development of this residential project in El Sheikh Zayed City, Egypt, the integration of advanced smart home technology took center stage, transforming the villa into a model of modern convenience and efficiency. Leveraging KNX products from various manufacturers, the project achieved full control over every aspect of the home, ensuring seamless automation and user-friendly operation. The focus was on creating an intelligent living space that offers both luxury and practicality, meeting the client's highest standards for a future-proof and fully automated home.

Key features are:

• Comprehensive integration of KNX technology throughout the villa
• Seamless voice control over all integrated systems and remote access and operation through personalized interfaces
• Energy management and smart metering for enhanced efficiency
• Control of specialized systems such as irrigation, pool, and jacuzzi

The TBM Office Building, located in the heart of Buenos Aires’s financial district, serves as the headquarters for a major bank. Designed by the esteemed architect César Pelli, this iconic 130-meter-high tower spans 52,000 square meters across 34 stories. With 1,987 KNX components and over 7,200 lights, both interior and exterior, the building represents a modern architectural feat. KNX was chosen to manage lighting, shading, and environmental controls, all seamlessly integrated into a SCADA system for comprehensive remote monitoring and energy efficiency.

Key features are:

• Full KNX integration in a 34-story corporate headquarters
• Advanced lighting groups with presence sensors and smart perimeter and interior shading for enhanced energy efficiency and occupant comfort
• Integration of over 30,000 control points within a SCADA system for remote monitoring and diagnostics across all building functions
• Integrated climate control and environmental monitoring through KNX/BacNet Space Lynk interface

In this smart home project in Baghdad, Elnukhba Engineering Company set out to create a highly innovative and technologically advanced living environment. The primary objective was to design a smart home that could seamlessly integrate a variety of systems from different manufacturers, ensuring maximum flexibility and scalability for future upgrades. By focusing on advanced security, ease of use, and adaptability, this project delivers a sophisticated yet intuitive living. The result is a home that not only meets the current needs of its residents but is also prepared to evolve with future technological advancements.

Key features are:

• A fully integrated KNX Luxury Villa that can easily be expanded or modified
• KNX Secure implementation ensures all communication within the smart home network is encrypted and protected
• IoT applications are seamlessly integrated into the KNX ecosystem, enhancing the home's automation capabilities
• Environmental sustainability is emphasized through energy-efficient automation and building control solutions

The Imperial Lexis Hotel in Kuala Lumpur is a luxurious five-star hotel located in the vibrant heart of the city, near the iconic Petronas Twin Towers. It offers an exquisite blend of modern elegance and traditional Malaysian hospitality, featuring spacious, well-appointed rooms and suites, many of which include private pools. The hotel boasts a range of world-class amenities such as fine dining restaurants, a rooftop bar with stunning city views, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and a serene spa. Business travelers benefit from advanced conference facilities and meeting rooms.

Key Features are:

• Automated management of lighting, HVAC, and access, based on real-time occupancy data
• Reduced energy consumption through intelligent resource utilization
• Automated room settings, including private pool management
• Personalized control of lighting, HVAC, and entertainment, all accessible via voice commands or mobile apps

This residential project designed by Saota, an award-winning architecture firm from Cape Town, proved that KNX is ideal to answer the clients’ high standards on elegance and comfort. KNX is used to control everything, from the lighting to the integration of the geothermal heat pump - every element is designed to ensure optimal energy efficiency for heating and cooling the villa, the indoor swimming pool, and the koi pond. The KNX installation was especially set up to be very user-friendly and almost invisible to the residents.

Key Features are:

• Over 60km of electrical wiring, emphasizing the scale and complexity of the project's implementation
• Climate control via a ventilation system with adiabatic humidification and geothermic heat pump for energy-efficient heating/cooling
• KNX-controlled EV chargers in underground parking, with RGBW-LED strips indicating charging status
• Temperature-controlled koi pond and a moveable floor indoor swimming pool with RGBW lighting, controlled via KNX

Biohort GmbH, an Austrian family business, develops and manufactures high-quality outdoor products made of metal, such as garden sheds and plant beds. With the newly built Plant 3, the production area has been expanded by 44,000 m2. Every aspect of the three sites is monitored and controlled using KNX. The customer has a central interface for each of the three plants, making operation hassle-free. The project continues to grow, and KNX is the ideal technology to grow alongside it.

Key Features are:

• Comprehensive monitoring and control of all three production sites using KNX
• Automatic lighting control with 129 Dali lines, covering 80,000 m² of production area
• Integrated emergency protocols, including automated system shutdown during fire alarms and power failures
• Simplified building management through a unified KNX-based visual interface for the entire operation

The primary goal of this project was to construct the new MT Distribuzione headquarters with a strong emphasis on minimizing environmental impact and ensuring the building's sustainability in line with current regulations. As distributors of home automation equipment, one of the objectives of the project was to show the advantages of KNX to their customers. By taking advantage of the integration between different systems and use of different scenario’s, human intervention is minimized.

Key Features are:

• Air recycling systems that manage CO2 and volatile organic compounds (TVOC) to promote a healthier indoor environment.
• Use of Itaca and other assessment tools to certify the building’s performance in sustainability, health, and environmental impact.
• Automated management of lighting, shading, and thermoregulation to optimize comfort and energy efficiency.
• Integration of KNX with Modbus, DALI, DMX, and security systems for comprehensive building automation.

The Army Single Living Accomodation and Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Army Programmes are set to deliver around 16,500 SLA bedspaces over the next 10 years, with REDS10 appointed to deliver over 1,200 of these within the next 2 years. The recently completed pilot building, based on KNX technology, is among the most advanced in Europe for SMART building control. Constructed using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), the 3-storey building arrives on-site up to 90% complete. It complies with BACS Class A and achieves over 95% on the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI), making it a benchmark for future developments.

Key Features are:

• KNX technology implemented throughout the building for comprehensive control and monitoring.
• Use of cognitive building techniques to influence user behavior and reduce hot water consumption through real-time data displays and gamification.
• Integration of multiple systems, including HVAC, lighting, leak detection, and energy management, controlled via advanced graphical user interface.
• High level of interoperability and future-proofing, with data harmonized and exported to a cloud-based analytics platform for actionable insights.

In this project, Bruhin Engineering integrated a showroom for KNX devices that are linked to the open-source software "Home Assistant". This project is completely independent of the system integrator, brands and/or electrician and therefore they present a variety of buttons, sensors and actuators from different manufacturers. The "iCASA Assistant" web application plays a crucial role in streamlining the setup, generating KNX group addresses, automations, and dashboards with minimal effort. The showroom serves as a hub for KNX programmers and enthusiasts, highlighting the independence from specific brands or integrators.

Key Features are:

• A Smart Home Experience Center showcasing the integration of KNX with open-source "Home Assistant"
• The "iCASA Assistant" web application automates setup and management with ease
• A hub for KNX programmers, offering insights and hands-on experience with diverse equipment
• Reliable operation even in the event of server failure, ensuring essential functions continue uninterrupted

IKNX Enginieering was asked to carry out the installation, programming, and commissioning of a KNX supervision and control system across three newly built logistics platforms and the expansion of another for the supermarket chain ALDI. Located in Dos Hermanas, Sagunto, and Miranda de Ebro, these centers are centrally managed from ALDI's headquarters in Barcelona. Each center operates independently, ensuring uninterrupted functionality. The project employs a KNX-based control system to optimize energy use, achieve BREEAM certification, and set a new standard for industrial automation.

Key Features are:

• Independent operation of each logistics center to ensure continuous functionality in case of failure at one site
• Centralized control from ALDI's headquarters in Barcelona, unifying three independent projects
• Continuous data analysis to advise on optimal operational decisions
• Full automation of industrial plants, enhancing safety, comfort, and efficiency

Porto KNX is the first FREE KNX E-Learning Platform in the Middle East. This educational project aims to provide comprehensive resources for students, technicians, and professionals, offering content in both Arabic and English. Recognizing the challenges faced by Arabic speakers in accessing quality KNX education, Porto KNX has developed specialized resources tailored specifically for them. Additionally, English-language content has been produced to serve a broader audience. The program is entirely free and includes a variety of learning tools, making it accessible to beginners and advanced learners alike.

Key Features are:

• Hundreds of videos available in both Arabic and English, covering wiring, installation, and programming of KNX devices.
• A full KNX e-learning website, providing structured courses and resources.
• Interactive live sessions, quizzes with exciting prizes, and support for graduation projects.
• A dedicated KNX jobs application to help learners transition from education to employment in the KNX field.

Iddero VERSO+IP 2 is a new KNX touch panel with capacitive multitouch 4.3” display. The product is an evolution of the successful VERSO+IP touch panel, featuring an elegant design, an attractive visualisation, and advanced functionality, including time schedules, alarm monitoring, scenes, two independent thermostats, built-in temperature sensor, and four multifunction inputs. Remote control from smartphones and tablets through the Iddero Mobile app. The new model includes support for twice as many controls on the display (up to 96 controls / 12 pages), and is compatible with the Iddero Voice Control service for Amazon Alexa. Iddero VERSO+IP 2 is available in white or black GLASS finishes, can be installed in portrait or landscape mode, and supports surface and flush mounting.

https://www.iddero.com/en/products/verso-ip-2