KNX Journal 2011-1

KNX Partners
KNX Australia now belongs to the familiy
NEW!
Australia
Australia, the land down
under, is best known for unusual
wildlife like Kangaroos
and Koalas, vast deserts and
significant natural wonders
like the Great Barrier Reef
and Uluru (Ayers Rock).
Another step in Australia’s
history occurred during 2010
with Australia officially
entering the KNX global
family with the formation
of the KNX National Group
in Australia.
KNX is not a stranger to Australia
however the home and
building automation market
had previously been dominated
by a local brand with a proprietary
protocol. People say
the world seems to be getting
smaller and the appreciation
of the advantages of the KNX
open standard has filtered into
Australia’s market. A growing
number of customers, building
consultants and integrators
are all accepting KNX as the
worldwide standard for home
and building control and how
this is advantageous to their
projects here in Australia.
During 2010 a number of
company representatives were
brought together with the goal
of establishing a local KNX
National Group to support
the existing users of KNX as
well as promote the growth of
KNX in the Australian market.
With the support of the KNX
International Association and
in particular Heinz Lux, representatives
from ABB, Cisco,
Hager, MysmartCTI and Somfy
met to go through the formal
procedures of establishing an
official KNX National Group
in Australia.
In December 2010 Heinz
Lux came “down under” to
oversee the founding of the
National Group at a signing
ceremony in Sydney.
Chairman of the new group
Back row – Left to Right: Keith Leung (ABB), Chris de Veyrac (Hager B&R),
Alistair Grice (Somfy), Craig Chapman (Hager B&R)
Seated – Left to Right: Peter Garrett (mySmart CTI), Heinz Lux (KNX International),
Ian Richardson (ABB)
Ian Richardson, expressed the
common desire of the group
to promote the KNX standard
in Australia and to provide
opportunities for significant
growth in the local market.
Since the inception of the
national group a relationship
has been formalised with
CEDIA and planning for KNX
booths at local exhibitions is
well advanced. Discussions
with other local industry associations
are proceeding and
the general trend to embrace
KNX is being seen. Leading
educational institutions are
also reviewing incorporating
KNX into their curriculum for
undergraduate engineers and
electricians which will support
KNX’s growth into Australia.
Recent KNX projects include
a large local government office
and sports complex near
Melbourne and a major Zoo
development in Sydney.
Although Australia is fortunate
to have significant natural
resources energy efficiency in
buildings has a high priority in
the design of new buildings as
well as the redevelopment of
existing buildings. The strength
of KNX to cover numerous
aspects of a buildings energy
footprint contributes to the
success of KNX in projects
and assists builders, developers
and building owners to achieve
the required regulations of
Greenstar ratings and other
local energy efficiency codes.
Contact: www.knx.org.au
The two most famous landmark in Sydney, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
Journal 1/2011
37