Electrical Contracting News (ECN) November 2016 | Page 48

SPECIAL
FEATURE

HOME AUTOMATION & INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS

FROM THE NINETIES TO NOW
One day building
controls will be
everywhere, in
both residential
and commercial
buildings.

Iain Gordon of KNX UK looks at how the smart buildings industry has changed since KNX
technology was launched over 25 years ago. From this point, he looks forward to the current
trends, the training available and how these benefit the next generation of contractor.

K

NX is now in its
26th year. In itself,
that’s quite some
achievement and is a
strong vindication of the
protocol’s robustness
as a building
automation solution.
Today, KNX is globally recognised as
a protocol which enables the integration
and programming of a range of products
from many different manufacturers, using
a single software tool. All KNX products are
thoroughly tested for compliance, ensuring
they operate seamlessly together on a
single, simple bus system.
If we go right back to the beginning,
KNX began life on the 5th of May 1990 in
Brussels, Belgium. Fifteen well known
European manufacturers of the electrical
industry founded the European Installation
Bus Association, EIBA. Their idea was to
make electronic installations with Bus
Technology fit for the future. To ensure
this, all members of EIBA agreed on using

the same system, a so called ‘Standard’.
In 2006, EIBA combined with the Konnex
Association to form KNX Association.
In 1990, building control systems were
completely manufacturer dependant and
almost totally exclusive to the commercial
sector, largely due to cost and the rather
industrial appearance of control interfaces.
The controls were, as you would expect,
totally independent across disciplines. For
example, there was no talking between
platforms or functionality within a building.
The demand for a more inclusive
approach was seen as a way of both
maximising the control possibilities but
also in rationalising what was required.
This coincided with the initial years of
control platforms for AV, which rather
conveniently would also increase
demand on a residential level for
systems of all types.
In mainland Europe, the density of
multiple dwelling units demonstrated
the benefits of controls too in keeping
communal areas lit and heated but

The future
of building
controls
is looking
great.

without wasting unnecessary energy in
doing so. This gave another good reason
to have a single system approach to
achieving these requirements.
Finally, due to potential limitations
of any single manufacturer’s portfolio
of products and skills, having many
manufacturers would allow companies with
their own specialities to enter the market
with their already developed products. A
rather clever way of ensuring there was a
large choice of product from the outset.
Continual development for 26 years
means there are over 7,000 products
available which all function on the KNX
BUS and standard. Since it was founded
only the products have changed. The
protocol and language for communication
remain the same. Why is that important?
It means you do not end up with building
controls put in landfill on a wholesale
basis. As the author, I have worked on
products in installations approaching
20 years old. I have also installed new
products alongside old, with no detriment

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