Integration specialist High End Electro managed the full tech fitout for this smart home in Belgium, recognised as a work of art the world over.
With marble cladding and sandstone floors, Flanders House is a quietly monumental interpretation of the Belgian landscape. The villa, which boasts a win at the KNX Smart Home Awards 2024, is home to more than 60km of wire, merging a minimalist design with dynamic configurations. Its intelligence extends across temperature-controlled ponds, courtyards and pathways to a separate pool pavilion on a 20,000-square-metre estate.
Bold beginnings
Six years ago, Flanders House began as a custom build project with an exceptional budget. “Nothing is standard in the house,” says project manager Hadewijch Geuskens, High End Electro. “Even the individual tile sizes were custom. We had only one desire in mind: to build something extraordinary.”
His relationship with the homeowner stretches back a decade, when their work together began with troubleshooting AV and IT in a previous property. “The client since approached me with the idea of starting a project from scratch, and giving me the responsibility to individually manage it,” says Geuskens. “Starting with that level of trust makes all the difference to the quality of our work.”
"We had only one desire in mind: to build something extraordinary.”
Geuskens took the lead on system design and engineering across a four-year period, guided by the homeowner’s need for modern and user-friendly systems in a clean space. As client representative, he searched for contractors, specialist trades and architectural partners suited to a grand design: luxury living, inspired by natural energy and order.
The search led the homeowner to architectural studio SAOTA based in Cape Town, South Africa. “The owner fell in love with their designs,” says Geuskens. “But translating the design firm’s vision into local regulations in Belgium was challenging. Some contacted contractors where not willing to go as far as SAOTA designed, saying details were not ‘buildable’ for them. Finally, we found a main contractor in Holland who came on board, a company called Van Mourik Bouw.
“The home uses a geothermic heat pump to draw energy from beneath the earth’s surface; it also benefits from KNX-compatible solar panels and window pumps. Our priority was to integrate the most progressive systems, while keeping the architecture clean. And it was important that I be on site over the project lifespan to communicate with the owner on a daily basis and adapt to change fast.”
"Our priority was to integrate the most progressive systems, while keeping the architecture clean."
High End Electro and its contractors purchased all project materials before the pandemic’s global shutdown in 2020, allowing building construction to continue without interruption. “It saved us significant costs,” says Geuskens. “And our proximity to the Dutch border meant many contractors could still come to site during lockdowns.”
Design-led technology
The 3,000-square-metre home, with 41 zones of underfloor heating, sits on a plot formed from two demolished villas. “Despite its scale, the property feels warm and protected,” says Geuskens. “And it’s home only to a couple. The house runs on a discreet KNX backbone which integrates everything from lighting, heating and multizone audio to a floating pool floor, descending windows and a custom elevator.”
The linear architecture inspired a similarly streamlined user interface. A number of iPads integrated with Tense touch sensors and thermostats were chosen to avoid wall clutter, while RTI processors and remotes support personalised scenes and entertainment systems. “RTI controls the televisions in the house, while KNX handles the multiroom audio system,” says Hadewijch. “There is a limited integration between them. But both systems can work on their own in case there is a miscommunication.”
“Despite its scale, the property feels warm and protected."
Three meticulously planned equipment racks sit in the basement, with cabling separated by function: data, audio and new application racking. These racks sit beside the cinema in the basement, allowing the Barco Njord projector to occupy the same air-conditioned technical room as the data systems
“Above all, I wanted access,” says Geuskens. “The projector is located behind a viewing port. By creating space to walk around and inspect every cable run, we can maintain performance for years to come. Lighting, HVAC and ventilation operate independently for resilience, yet they can all integrate smoothly through a shared protocol. As a KNX partner and professional with 20 years of experience in the business, I knew this open standard would provide the reliability the home required.”
The KNX ecosystem incorporates B.E.G. movement sensors, an Elsner Suntracer Pro weather station and Smart Connect KNX Remote Access module for secure monitoring. All functions are visualised on automation platform ComfortClick, which allows the homeowner to operate lighting, HVAC, audio zones and more from anywhere in the world.
Meanwhile, a custom KNX interface for RTI matrixes underpins the Monitor Audio multiroom sound system, which via the general switches and ComfortClick app. An IMS-4 streamer feeds four BluOS-enabled streams, distributing lossless audio across 32 areas to allow residents to select their own soundtrack. Multichannel IA150-8C amplifiers power Platinum series in-ceiling speakers throughout every room, where multizone audio is served. “Every room is an audio zone,” says Geuskens. “Even the toilets, underground parking garage, terraces and meeting room.”
An REL subwoofer reinforcement also supports bass where required.
Indoor/outdoor theme
A smart ventilation system introduces cold droplets to the air, bringing outdoor calm and humidification to the interiors. This elemental theme continues with fireplaces in the kitchen, TV room and outdoor terraces.
One of the home’s most striking installations is the descending window on the ground floor, collapsing the border between swimming pool and garden. Going from floor to ceiling, it uses HIRT Kinetics’ movable technology to drop into a concealed basement cavity. The effect, according to Architectural Digest’s Middle East magazine, offers “the best of both worlds”, providing outward living in warm months and deep privacy when the weather turns.
The pool itself transforms at the touch of a button, its seasonal window access managed through different modes. A Variopool floating floor allows the water to remain in place while the surface rises or lowers by centimetre. “The iPad activates RGBW lighting, music scenes and the precise height of the floor via the KNX system,” says Geuskens. “It becomes an entertaining space, social area or a pool depending on the scene selected.”
Entertainment to perfection
The home cinema is built around a powerful Meridian loudspeaker system, forming the centre of the entertainment experience. The Meridian 271 Digital Theatre Controller supplies up to 20 channels of audio to DSP in-wall loudspeakers for a distinctive sound. Elsewhere, Arcam processors support the TV room, pyjama lounge and wellness space in the pavilion.
“I’ve installed Meridian before in several Belgian cinema projects,” says Geuskens. “Benelux distribution can be challenging, as the Holland distributor Vietron has no showroom, so we flew to the UK for a private demonstration at the Meridian HQ. There, we experienced the sound with Barco projectors in two cinemas, which allowed us to shape a complete package with confidence.
“There’s no doubt these are some of the finest products to be found in the premium segment; but for me, the companies behind them are the single most important factor to closing a deal. I’m always looking for added value. I want to be able to call the organisation and know I will receive support if needed, like presales and aftersales services, calibrating on site and quick responses during system configuration or failure.”
A StormAudio ISP Elite processor handles decoding and upmixing of up to 32 channels, driving HDR video from the Panasonic Ultra HD Blu-ray player or Apple TV through a Display Technologies masking screen and a Barco Njord Cinemascope projector.
This top-tier projector uses proprietary ‘Cropping’ to adapt aspect ratios with minimal user interaction, all in conjunction with the supported RTI control system. Two AV40 processors also boost cinema performance with 16 channels of surround sound, alongside codecs from Dolby, DTS, Auro-3D and IMAX Enhanced to the TV room and pyjama lounge. The processors establish a high-quality analogue connection with the Meridian 271 processors and multiroom Meridian DSP speakers.
But such an elaborate system requires equally rigorous aftercare: High End Electro performs servicing twice every year, including projector updates, ventilation checks, KNX diagnostics and underwater inspections on the pool floor. “We’ve had moments when 15 vans and 25 technicians have been on site,” says Geuskens. “Coordination is everything, and we must prioritise extensive planning.”
The success of Flanders House, celebrated by the client and architectural world alike, can be traced back to steady leadership from an experienced integrator. And with trusted brands that function effortlessly against its winning form, the home has become a meeting place for peace and possibility.
Photo credits: Adam Letch
Tech-Spec
2N IP Verso Series
Apple 4K TVs and iPads
Arcam AV40 processors
Barco Njord Cinemascope projector
B.E.G presence sensors
ComfortClick Sledgehammer building automation server
Display Technologies masking screen
Elsner Suntracer KNX pro
Flos ‘The Running Magnet' professional lighting profiles
HIRT Kinetics Swiss Descending Window (?)
ISE smart connect secure remote module
JUNG HOME motion detectors
Legrand double 22kW EV charging points
Meridian 271 Cinema controllers, DSP320 in-ceiling speakers, DSP750 in-wall loudspeakers and DSW600 in-wall subwoofers
Monitor Audio IMS4 streamer, multichannel amplifiers and Platinum ceiling speakers
ONE A STORM system lighting
Panasonic Ultra HD Blu-ray Player DP-UB9000EB and 65-inch OLED TVs
REL subwoofer
RTI T3x remote controls, XP-3 control processors and XP-8v control processors
Storm Audio ISP Elite Immersive Sound Processor
Tense iPad EYESWITCH docks with KNX buttons
Theben DALI/KNX gateways and actuators
Ubiquiti Bullet AI cameras, Network Video Recorder Pro, Dataswitches 48p PoE and UniFi Dream Machine Pro, OS console and security gateway
Variopool floating pool floor
Wyrestorm MX-1616 HDBaseT matrix with remote modules as backup to the HDMI-over-Fibre
Zennio actuators and RGBW modules