Karuizawa Sky House

Application Context

The house is located in Nagano, Japan and the total area of the building is over 1,000 m2 on 2 floors. The design studio is KIDOSAKI ARCHITECTS STUDIO, led by Hirotaka Kidosaki. The building is located in a mountainous area characterised by rich nature. From every room one can enjoy a beautiful view and spend precious time. To maximise the comfort and sophisticated design of the space, lighting, underfloor heating, air conditioning, roller blinds, TVs and waterfalls have been integrated. These systems are monitored and controlled by wall-mounted Ekinex devices, room thermostats, mobile device apps and smart speakers (Apple HomePod mini).

Client's Demands

The client wanted to construct a new building capable of controlling various functions through voice control. The interior design also played a key role for the property. In order to meet the different requirements, the design office decided to integrate different home automation functions using KNX standard switches with an elegant and sophisticated design and making the communication objects interact with the voice assistant.

Ekinex Solutions

Wall-mounted controls
Push buttons, room thermostats in FF Form.

DIN rail modules
Universal interface EK-CD2-TP.

The push button is used to control scenes, lighting, underfloor heating and air conditioning. The room thermostat is used to display and change the air conditioning setpoint temperature. The buttons and thermostat are mounted on the furniture in a recessed area, so that the upper surface of the switches is at the same level as the surface of the furniture. This enhances the design of the wall and contributes to a better customer experience with its ease of use. The universal interface was used to connect/interface the various wall devices used.