By Yasmin Hashmi
How large can a KNX installation be? What are the limits of its capabilities? In this article, we look at how KNX installations have grown in size and scope over the past 35 years, and how scalability is one of its core strengths.
One of the first commercial installations
One of the earliest larger-scale KNX installations was an office in Pasching, Austria, which was completed in 1994. It highlights two core strengths of KNX, namely reliability and backwards compatibility. It was equipped with KNX throughout, including the lighting which uses a 0-10V constant light control system. When systems integrator EBG took over management of the project in 2015, the original installer had long since gone out of business, so there was no up-to-date database nor any project documents. However, thanks to the ETS app Reconstruction Tool, EBG was able to read out the entire project and expand it. In 2020, the company integrated automated shading, and now the entire system, which includes 363 KNX devices, can be controlled and monitored by the doorperson.
KNX in airports
As KNX proved itself over the years, ambitions became bolder and installations grew in scope and size.The Heathrow Terminal 5 project in London was competed by Andromeda Telematics in 2008 (prior to its acquisition by Schneider Electric). The project aimed to provide a robust, scalable lighting solution across the terminal, leveraging KNX/DALI technology integrated with scheduling and PIR presence detection to optimise energy usage and operational efficiency. The automated lighting control significantly reduced energy consumption whilst maintaining safety and comfort for both passengers and staff.
The systems integrator said that KNX’s flexibility and reliability made it the ideal choice for such mission-critical infrastructure. Indeed, the success of this deployment helped establish KNX as a trusted solution for large-scale public environments and led to further rollouts across other Heathrow terminals.
Since then, a growing number of airports have taken advantage of KNX, including Daxing International Airport in Beijing, China. Here, up to 35,000 KNX devices have been used to manage all lighting, air-conditioning, blinds and scenes in different areas. At the time this was said to be one of the largest commercial KNX projects in the Chinese market, and indeed in the world.
KNX in holiday resorts
Another project hailed as the largest KNX installation ever, was the Costa Navarino Resort in the Peloponnese, Greece, which won the KNX Award for Special in 2010. The resort originally comprised 766 rooms and suites, 265 private pools, a golf course, spa and more, and was designed to have zero emissions. KNX control was implemented throughout, including lighting, air-conditioning, solar screening, integration of fire alarm and evacuation systems, triggering of the correct building services in case of emergencies, and remote monitoring and maintenance. The system offers central control and monitoring in all five receptions, with overall visualisation of the complete installation.
The KNX infrastructure took advantage of KNXnet/IP and was engineered for massive scalability. According to systems integrator GDS Digital System LTD., KNX was chosen because of its flexibility, reduced installation time, extensive range of products, interfaces with other systems, choice of qualified technicians, and structured programming system.
KNX on campus
The following year in 2011, the largest women’s university in the world, the Princess Nourah University in Saudi Arabia, was completed with a KNX installation by system integrator Modern Times Technical Systems. This project won the 2012 KNX Award for International – Asia, and stood out because of its unusually large scope and sophisticated control features. KNX was installed at the university’s 40,000-student campus and used 32,000 KNX devices to control and dim lights in the library, conference centres, the administrative building, lecture halls, laboratories, classrooms, corridors and bathrooms – in some cases based on presence. Also under KNX control was air-conditioning and fully automatic shading systems for the large glazed window areas to protect against solar radiation and help with efficient climate control. The project also included smart controls for classrooms that can be subdivided into smaller rooms.
KNX in residential towers
KNX is now becoming a standard feature in residential towers, but in 2011, it was a ground-breaking development. This is when the St George Wharf Tower, a landmark 52-storey residential development on the River Thames, London, UK, was finished. Schneider Electric (SE) provided complete KNX automation of the lighting, heating, air-conditioning, blinds and windows in each apartment using a KNX-based AV and HVAC control system. The project required close coordination with multiple trades to ensure seamless commissioning and integration.
SE stated that the flexibility and interoperability of KNX were critical in integrating diverse systems, making it the ideal platform for this high-end residential project, with residents benefitting from intuitive, unified control over their living environment.
Both the Heathrow and St George Wharf sites have been serviced and maintained by SE since completion and have helped them develop strong relationships with all stakeholders over the past 20 years.
One of the largest residential KNX installations to date is the Jinmao Longhua Palace project in Shenzhen, China. Completed in 2020, it comprises 701 apartments, in each of which are nearly 70 KNX devices to control lighting, heating, sensing, panels, logic, temperature control, blinds, voice control etc. It was the first time in China that KNX products had been used exclusively in a residential project. In total there are about 50,000 KNX devices under unified control and management, and according to Jack He of KNX China, everything is working just fine.
KNX in factories
In 2014, The Garden Factory was opened in Neemrana, Rajasthan, India. Comprising two buildings spread across 80 acres, the aim was to merge innovation with nature. This was India’s first Platinum-rated green factory. It used vegetation inside and out to enhance ambient temperatures, air quality, and the visual environment; rainwater harvesting and 100% water recycling; and diagonal orientation of the entire structure to follow the path of the sun, thus maximising the efficiency of its 1.5MW solar PV modules.
Systems integrator, Entelechy Systems used KNX to provide energy-efficient automated lighting with a centralised monitoring and control system, and visualisation that has proven to be very helpful in critical preventative and corrective maintenance. Operating statuses are easy to check, and faults can be remedied quickly. Thanks to KNX technology, the system is also easy to modify. In addition to flexibility, this project demonstrates how several sites, using KNX technology, can be incorporated into a single, centralised energy management system, in line with the ‘sustainable city’ concept.
KNX in mixed-use developments
The project of the Emaar Square North Tower Hotels and Residential building in Turkey was completed by systems integrator Optimus Doruk A.Ş. in 2017, and is an example of the flexibility of KNX in large-scale mixed-use developments. A variety of functions are integrated, including the GRMS (Guest Room Management System), lighting and HVAC. In this project, KNX interfaces with BACnet, Modbus, DALI, and the Fidelio Opera hotel management software, and contributes to the building’s energy efficiency by using presence sensors to adjust temperature and ventilation based on occupancy.
KNX into the future
From the following examples of winners of the 2024 KNX awards, we can see that the direction of travel for KNX is to reach in to every sector, intelligently automating a broad range of large-scale functions, whilst providing custom comfort and control for the individual.
The Imperial Lexis Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is a fine example of this. Not only does the KNX system installed by Seikou Systec help to reduce energy consumption through intelligent resource utilisation and automated room settings, including lighting HVAC and access based on real-time occupancy data, it also allows personalised control of comfort and entertainment via voice or mobile apps.
The Aldi Logistics Platform Control project by IKNX Ingeníeria is spread across three logistic sites in Spain, and enjoys comprehensive automation. The details are too much to go into here, but it includes monitoring and control of industrial plant, water and electricity resources, including self-generation, alarm systems, lighting and thermal comfort, air quality and more. Whilst there is centralised control from Aldi’s headquarters in Barcelona, which unifies the three independent centres, each centre has its own control in case of a failure at any one site, and each office can be controlled by its occupant for comfort. The KNX system communicates with BACnet, Modbus, DALI and other protocols, and uses KNX IP Secure and KNX Data Secure products to guarantee security of the project.
Conclusion
Who would have envisaged 35 years ago that KNX control would grow into something as all-encompassing as it is now – capable of monitoring and automating virtually every aspect of a building or even multiple buildings all under unified control.
No doubt, over the coming years, we will see projects using KNX IoT so that they can take advantage of the next generation Internet protocol that allows for a vast number of IP addresses, better network management, and cloud connectivity. And the use of AI will make automation even more responsive and efficient.
In the meantime, we salute all of those thousands of projects that have helped consolidate KNX’s position as a reliable partner, as well as those that have pushed the boundaries to expose the true power of KNX in creating the most amazing and far-reaching implementations of this technology.
If you have a KNX project, make sure you submit it to the projects section of the KNX website. No matter how large or small, simple or complex, it serves as an example of why KNX is the logical choice for any building automation project.
Yasmin Hashmi is the Editor of KNXtoday magazine.
