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Case Study – Georgian Townhouse

Function Control were delighted to be appointed in 2020 to oversee the full design, specification, supply and programming of this high-spec, luxury Georgian Townhouse in Edinburgh’s New Town.

KNX UK awards

Two of our recent projects have been nominated in the 2023 KNX UK awards

The Dorset Childrens Trust Opening Day

Dorset Childrens Foundation cinema installation with Together For Cinema

    Dorset Children’s Foundation cinema installation with Together For Cinema Together For Cinema is a charity that builds cinemas for children’s hospices using support and donations from the AV industry to make it all happen. We donated some home cinema equipment to Together For Cinema following upgrades and modifications to a home cinema for …

Dorset Childrens Foundation cinema installation with Together For Cinema Read More »

Talking Smart Homes Video Still

KNX for Home Security

Nick had the opportunity to chat with Satja Lumbar from 1HOME in their podcast series ‘Talking Smart Homes’.

Mark

Cedia Tech Summit—Edinburgh

The team had a great morning at the 2022 Cedia Tech Summit. It was great to get a proper chat with some of the suppliers and manufacturers we have only spoken to on the phone or via email over the past couple of years.

FUNCTION CONTROL
Unit 9
Bilston Glen Enterprise Centre
1 Dryden Road
Loanhead
EH20 9LZ
t: 0131 440 1735
email: hello@functioncontrol.co.uk

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Privacy Policy

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, we have a legal duty to protect any information we collect from you. We do not pass on your details to any third party unless you give us permission to do so.

What information do we collect?

If you email us an enquiry or send us feedback, you will be asked for a limited amount of contact information so that we can respond to your request and follow up to ensure that it has been dealt with to your satisfaction.
We do not pass on any of your personal information outside our company when dealing with your enquiry. We will not use any information you supply for any other purpose without first seeking your permission.
If you register an interest in receiving regular updates, your details will be kept indefinitely. You have the option to check the details supplied by you, to update these details, or to remove your name from any mailing lists by contacting info@functioncontrol.co.uk.
Your email address and any other personal details entered online will only be stored on the server of our internet hosting provider (ISP) who are fully GDPR compliant. You can read the details of their GDPR policy here.

Cookies and Log Files

Cookies are pieces of data that can be automatically created on your computer when you visit a website. For all public access areas, we do not use cookies at this website.
Log files allow us to record visitors’ use of the site which we use to make changes to the layout of the site and to the information in it, based on the way that visitors move around it. Log files do not contain any personal information about you or information about which other sites you have visited.

Links to other sites

This site contains links to other websites. This privacy policy applies only to our site, so you should always be aware when you are moving to another site and read the privacy statement of any site which collects personal information. We do not pass on any personal information you have given us to any other site.

Access to your information and contacting us

If you have a query or complaint about this privacy policy or about the site, you can contact us by e-mailing info@functioncontrol.co.uk
If this privacy policy changes in any way, we will place an updated version on this page.

Latest Revision Date: 26 June 2023

About Us

Our Why

We enhance peoples lives by making buildings perform better.

Function Control Ltd was established by Nick Laing in 2015 offering services to design and implement smart building solutions for luxury homes, offices and assisted living projects.

We like to listen to our customers aspirations for their building and consider how we can help. Every project is individual but the following question is universal:

‘How do we create smart buildings that simplify daily life, improve the living environment for occupants and save energy?’

The Team

Nick
Nick Laing – Director

‘Buildings have an incredible ability to affect our mood and our behaviour. In the UK we spend 90% our lives indoors, I want the buildings we occupy to actively improve our health and wellbeing by responding to our needs.

I’m excited by every new project as it is an opportunity for a new relationship to be developed with trust and understanding. I love the feeling when I get positive feedback following completion of a challenging project.’

Nick studied Audio Technology and Electronics at Glasgow Caledonian University before taking his first real job as an AV engineer at the Millennium Dome. He then moved into the Film Post Production industry in London where career highlights included crawling around the feet of movie stars such as Michael Caine and Ewan MacGregor as he performed ad-hoc repairs during recording sessions.

Mark
Mark Hardie – Integrated system engineer

I had an early fascination with finding out how things work. This usually meant most of my toys & gadgets were opened up & dismantled (and to the disappointment of my parents, various other electrical devices around the home) Occasionally, they were even put back together!

I took this interest into an Electrical & Electronic engineering degree at Strathclyde University before getting involved in the audio visual and smart home industry. I take great pride in designing and implementing an integrated home specifically for each client’s needs.

Chris
Chris O’Brien – Integrated system engineer

When people choose to design their new dream homes thoughts are often for the exciting, the here and now. One of the great motivations about incorporating technology into a building’s fabric is knowing that a fantastic space has been created which is adaptable to the residents ever changing needs. Ideally this can ensure that people can remain in their homes for the longest time despite the challenges older age and circumstances brings.

Chris met Nick whilst working at the Millennium Dome where he honed his skills for driving a golf buggy to faulty plasma screen walls, climbing very high ladders and foiling diamond heists.

 

Poppy the Dog
Poppy – Office Dug

I’m still learning the ropes, but I think I have already found my niche in information security, shredding any paper I can get near. I also take pride in enforcing regular screen breaks for the rest of the team.

 

Chris and Mark in Office
Mark Working On Plans
Chris Wiring Rack

Join Us

You might already have a job, but would you like to join our journey?

Are you excited by the prospect of working in a small innovative team where you will regularly be asked to step outside the constraints of your main job role? A job where you can grow and develop?

As a small tight-knit team each of us has to cover a number of job roles at once. You may have an unusual combination of skills or an interest to learn new ones.

Don’t worry if you don’t have the qualifications you think you need yet. It is far more important to us that you have enthusiasm and a genuine interest in making a difference in our industry. We train our people and help them gain industry recognised qualifications.

Would you fit a combination of any of the roles below? Treat it like a pick’n’mix and drop us an email if you think you are a good fit. Tell us who you are and why you would like to get involved.

Trainee smart buildings engineer
Admin assistant
Smart buildings engineer
Panel/rack builder
Marketing manager
Sales manager
Project manager
Assistive technology specialist
Systematisation guru

All roles are hybrid or office based, from our office in Loanhead, Edinburgh. Dependent on role, some work will require travel to building sites and client homes.

Virtual Golf
Labelling Beer Bottles
Charity Runners
Chris with Mug

FAQs

Our budgets range from £15k to £250k+ dependent on the size and scope of the project. There really is no one-size-fits-all solution. We can very quickly provide you with a rough indication of price if you have plans and can answer a few simple questions about the scope of your project.

Click here to send us an email and we will get right back to you.

If you prefer to speak to us in person then please give Nick, Chris or Mark a call on 0131 440 1735

Our service is designed to support any competent electrician to be able to complete the electrical installation aspects of a project. Since electrical installation is not included in our services this leaves you free to choose your preferred Main Contractor who may have their own electrical team.

Not at all. Our service will support any competent electrician to understand and complete the electrical installation required for our systems.

We specialise in providing the most robust and versatile control systems which will provide decades of reliable service regardless of technological advances in the future. To achieve real smart home integrations different services in the home must be able to communicate and interact together. Linking IoT products using home network, wifi and the cloud can be unreliable and complicated to maintain.

At the heart of every Function Control system is KNX, the international standard for building control. Over 500 manufacturers make KNX compatible equipment and the range of products spans lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, motorised blinds, music systems and much more.

KNX has been used in award winning projects around the world and has both a proven track record and a future-proof design.

KNX devices each have a microprocessor and communicate with each other using a serial bus communication principal. This allows the system to be wired using a single installation cable which links each switch and device. Upgrades and additions to the system can be made with minimal invasive work.

Learn more about KNX

Wireless and battery free devices. EnOcean energy harvesting technology allows switches and devices to convert the energy they need using solar, thermal or kinetic energy. For instance, an EnOcrean switch will use the energy you put in by pressing the switch to send a wireless signal.

What this means is less toxic chemicals as EnOcean devices rarely need batteries, and since you don’t need to remember to replace depleted batteries the system requires much less maintenance.

We love to use EnOcean wireless devices where a cabled device is unsuitable, like window and door sensors or where a device needs to be added retrospectively.

Learn more about EnOcean

We can support you with maintenance, repairs and modifications to your systems on-demand. Just email hello@functioncontrol.co.uk to arrange an appointment.

If you prefer to speak to us in person then please give Nick, Chris or Mark a call on 0131 440 1735.

For complete peace of mind we offer smart home maintenance subscriptions. For a low monthly charge we will provide an annual service of your system and preferential rates for call-outs and modifications.

Click here to find out more about Premier Service.

Function Control use KNX as the basis of all of our projects as it is considered a future-proof solution. As a tightly regulated standard with hundreds of participating manufacturers KNX is the only option we recommend for professional smart home infrastructure.

Learn more

Let us help you! Because intelligent building control covers so many aspects of a building project Function Control like to work as part of the design team and get involved in the project as early as possible.

Initially we will work with you and your architect to form a provisional design to suit the specific needs and style of the project, selecting the building elements to control and offering products to suit.

If you would like to chat to us about a project please Click here to send us an email.

If you prefer to speak to us in person then please give Nick, Chris or Mark a call on 0131 440 1735.

You may have experienced a KNX smart building without realising it. Many luxury homes have KNX infrastructure and there are also many high profile hotels and commercial buildings which rely on KNX to provide robust and reliable controls.

The 2022 KNX UK award winning project was a new build passivhaus barn project by New Land Solutions.

Heathrow Terminal 5 and Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Children and Young People rely on KNX for their complex lighting needs.

A weather station can be a huge asset in a smart home system as the external climate information can be used in so many ways to make your building respond in a helpful manner.

Bastian Elsner from Elsner Elektronik explains many of the benefits here