Mark Hardie, KNX Systems Integrator at Function Control Ltd, takes on our tantalising installer quiz.
Tell us a little about your company, what do you specialise in? Who is involved?
I work for Function Control Ltd in Edinburgh, founded in 2013 and I’ve been there since 2018. Currently, there are three of us in the company: Nick Laing the Director, myself and Chris O’Brien are the engineers. We specialise in KNX projects, mostly high-end residential, although we also carry out KNX commissioning sub-contracts for commercial projects like hospitals.
What are doing today work-wise?
Today I’m onsite in the Aberdeenshire area commissioning a large KNX heating and plant room control project alongside another integration company which is carrying out the rest of the smart home integration.
Tell us about the projects you are working on right now?
We have a few high-value projects, some new build, some renovation. All based on KNX with a bit of AV. Currently they are mostly in Edinburgh, which is nice, as it saves on some travel time! Chris has been working in a hospital in Newcastle for a few months, commissioning a KNX/DALI system.
How do you feel the industry in general is going right now?
I find it so difficult to judge, as we are probably the busiest we’ve been for a few years, but lead times on our projects can be one-to-three years from first meeting to completion, making timelines difficult to compare. From speaking to friends in the industry, everyone seems to be doing okay (or at least they say they are!) I think there’s a growing understanding of at least the basics of our industry from the likes of architects which translates into opportunities for us.
What areas of the smart home and luxury AV sector need to improve and how?
Getting the messaging out. Virtually no-one I know outside of the industry has heard of KNX. That said, if I say I work designing and installing smart home tech, the most common reply is, ‘like Nest and Philips Hue?’ so there is some awareness of the industry, even if it is the DIY side of it. I know CEDIA is pushing forward with the ‘Smart Home Assurance Programme’, so I’m interested to see if that has any bearing going forward, albeit I don’t think it’s something that will have a huge impact in the short term. Some sort of regulation for the industry is probably a good idea, although I don’t profess to know how that would work in principle!
Do you think training needs to be improved? If so, how?
This is so manufacturer-specific. I think it must be difficult to design training to keep up with the pace of change. I do think that some form of smart home knowledge should be integrated into learning, particularly in electrical trades, apprenticeships and courses. Allowing time for training when time is valuable can be a challenge, but it’s so necessary. So, on a slightly selfish note, more training north of the border! Some manufacturers (SnapOne and Alltrade for example) are starting to make the effort though. I really enjoy training, there’s always something you pick up even if you’ve been working with that product/protocol for years.
Is there a project you are particularly proud of and why?
There’s a couple, we had a self-build project from around 2019-2022 that was my first one that I got to do most of the design. Full KNX/Control4 and I carried out the lighting design there too. Our most recent project (the south Edinburgh smart home renovation) was probably my favourite though. The case study goes into more detail, but it was a full strip out and rewire, reusing some of the existing KNX parts. The project has been finished to such a high standard and the feedback from the clients was superb. This project was featured in last month’s issue, so check it out.
Are there any brands or products you particularly like working with, and why?
I’m KNX through and through, so there’s so many brands in that sphere, but I particularly like Zennio, they have some great solutions and their engineering and tech support is excellent. I’m also keen on Gira. I do have a soft spot for Control4 because I’ve been doing it since 2007 and it plays nicely with KNX. Away from the smart home side, we’ve had a fantastic recent experience with Artcoustic Loudspeakers. Their product and service is superb and they have some great AV solutions. I’m partial to Blustream too – a couple of times a product of theirs has been a ‘Get out of jail’ card.
What is the best and the worst thing that has happened to you on site?
The worst was the phone call I got at 4pm to come back to the office before going home to tell me the company I worked for at the time had gone under and that I no longer had a job! I hadn’t been there long enough for redundancy pay either so that was a stressful few weeks before picking up another position. The best might have been the client who gifted me an old Linn system that had been upgraded, so he had no further need for it. That was a nice stereo system for a few years!
What is the most unusual client request you have had?
Nothing too out there, we’ve automated the water feature in a pool to react to voice commands as the switch was in a cupboard. We were also asked to see if we could integrate an automatic cat litter tray, but (probably thankfully) we couldn’t. I wouldn’t have wanted to get calls from the client asking us to come and service that!
How do you see the sector changing in the future?
There’s obviously a lot of talk around AI, but I personally can’t yet see exactly how it will affect the smart home market. I think there’s definitely potential to streamline some of our processes and programming time and make life easier and quicker in that regard, but I hope there’s always still a need for a human core at the heart of the project. I know we are much more likely to engage with a client if we’ve had a chance to meet face to face.
Are there persons/organisations/ companies that have been particularly inspirational in your work life?
I don’t know if there’s been anyone particularly inspirational, but I do have to give credit to the guys at James-Morrow for giving me my first job in the industry and Michael Seeland (Jung) for introducing me to KNX. My boss Nick and colleague Chris are pretty awesome too, which makes for a good working environment!
Away from work, what are your interests/hobbies?
Currently, I play softball during the summer and have taken up some tennis coaching and playing doubles earlier this year. I run a bit although that has tailed off a little compared to the last few years. I enjoy reading and pottering in the garden or doing a bit of DIY. My eight and 12 year old sons take up a lot of my time too.
What are your favourite music and films? What are you watching/ listening to right now?
We’ve just started Narcos on Netflix and I enjoyed 3 Body Problem recently. My comfort show is The Office (US), my absolute favourite series of all time are probably Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Music-wise, I’m a ‘90s Britpop era kid, but currently on heavy rotation are London Grammar, Foals, Two Door Cinema Club, Niteworks and Kathryn Joseph.
You can invite three people (living or not) out for a meal/drink. Who’s coming and why?
Alex Horne (Taskmaster) just for the party games and chaos he would bring, Anthony Bourdain (chef and author) – he strikes me as a fascinating person to talk to and I feel he’d know the best place to have a meal and Robin Williams for the sheer joy he’d bring to the table.