At the world’s largest trade fair for intelligent buildings – light+building 2012 in Germany, the KNX Awards were presented for internationally outstanding home and building control projects based on the KNX standard.
The award ceremony was attended by more than 1,500 guests from 76 different countries and projects from around the world were a testament to the diversity of solutions being developed using KNX.
The Energy Efficiency Award was given to the KNX installation at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, China. The size of the airport – 300,000 m2 and 40 million passengers annually – underlines the size of the project. It was realised by Shanghai Longchuang Control Automation System Co, with a highly energy-efficient lighting control system for the airport’s 6,000 lighting circuits. The focus was on ensuring optimal lighting conditions at all times of day.
The International Award (Africa, America, Australia) went to systems integrator mySmart CTI from Australia for the project at the Surf Coast Shire Civic Building – a leisure complex in Torquay on Australia’s south coast. As well as controlling the lights and so keeping energy use in the building to a minimum, KNX is also responsible for monitoring HVAC, gathering energy data from the building’s photovoltaic system and wind power plant, controlling hydraulic systems and linking audio/video with lighting to create user-definable lifestyle scenes.
The International Award (Asia) went to the KNX installation at Princess Noura University for Women in Saudi Arabia by Jeddah-based systems integrator Modern Times Technical Systems. It includes smart controls for classrooms that can be divided up into smaller rooms and fully automated shading systems for the large glazed window areas to protect against solar radiation and efficient climate control.
The KNX installation at Asia Square in Singapore also received an award. It is an eco-friendly twin-tower development consisting of offices, a luxury hotel, retail space and a central open leisure area. KNX is responsible for controlling and monitoring lighting in the building.
The International Award (Europe) was won by Prousaloglou Pantelis Konstatinos and SIA OE, Greece, for a very large KNX installation at La Marquise, a hotel complex spread over an area of 12 hectares. KNX is used here to integrate the lighting, solar shading, air conditioning, audio/video and alarm systems and to monitor the equipment for maximum efficiency, safety, security, comfort and convenience.
The Fundaciόn Metal Asturias in Gijόn, Spain was another award-winning project. The 340 KNX components, of which the system is made up, make the building an example of efficiency, safety, security, comfort and convenience.
