STV News story about the assistive technology being developed by Function Control for Capability Scotland
We love when we can use smart building technology to make a real difference in people’s lives, so our active participation with Capability Scotland in the development of their forthcoming Bertha Park care home in Perth, Scotland brings us great pride.
The core concept behind this development is to create a cutting-edge care facility that serves as a benchmark for the entire industry. Bertha Park care home will have robust assistive technologies built-in from the start, offering 60 residents with diverse and complex needs newfound levels of independence.
Residents from the existing Upper Springland facility in Perth, who will be moving to the new Bertha Park facility once built, have had the opportunity to visit the mock-up apartment which has been equipped with assistive technology to allow control of lighting, heating and blinds. Depending on the particular needs of the customer the apartment can be controlled by conventional wall switches, voice assistant, app, remote control or eye-gaze tablet. This provides independence to people who may not have had the opportunity to control their own living environment without assistance before.
In addition, the mock-up apartment can feed information back to care staff such as fall alerts, windows or doors left open, bathroom visit frequency, room temperature tracking, water leak alerts and medicine cabinet access logging. These technologies will equip the dedicated care staff with invaluable insights to enhance the support they provide.
Technology used in the project is based on KNX wired infrastructure with integrations to EnOcean battery free wireless devices, IP wired network devices, IP Wifi devices and IR transceivers.
No smart home hubs or smart assistants are necessary, so there is no potential central point of failure in the system. Furthermore, data privacy can be fully locked down with no requirement for an internet connection or online registration.
Manufacturers supporting us with the project include:
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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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?’
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
