Design, consultancy & project management

Smart home electrical design — the nervous system of your house.

Electrical design does not mean running cables. It means designing the nervous system of a house efficiently — KNX, DALI, network, Wi-Fi, PV, wallbox and multiroom coordinated with one another. So that nobody ever has to say later: “There is no cable there.”

DecadesCables last that long in the wall
KNX + Cat 7A double backbone
Before the walls closechecked, not hoped for
100+projects delivered
Why it matters

Devices get replaced. Cables stay.

Functions instead of circuits

Conventional electrical design thinks in sockets and switches. We think in terms of what your house should be able to do — and plan every cable, every conduit and every detector towards that function.

Forward-looking, not short-term

A house is not planned for five years. Network, Wi-Fi, KNX, DALI, PV and wallbox have to be thought of together — with spare capacity for technology that does not yet exist.

Never again "there is no cable there"

The most expensive sentences in housebuilding are: "the walls will have to come open again for that" and "there is no socket there". Those are exactly the ones we prevent — at shell stage the solution costs almost nothing.

The difference

Conventionally planned — or smartly planned.

Conventional electrical design

It works. Until you want more.

Circuits, switches, sockets — solid for moving in, but every later idea runs into cabling that is not there.

  • No spare conduits
  • Distribution board with no room for actuators
  • Network as an afterthought
  • Retrofitting = breaking open
Smart home electrical design

Built for the house in 20 years' time.

KNX backbone, Cat 7, conduits and spare capacity from the outset — your house stays extendable without opening a wall.

  • Conduit scheme out to the façade
  • Distribution boards & loads with spare capacity
  • Bus + network planned together
  • Checked before the walls close
What you receive

Drawings that any specialist contractor can work with.

01

Installation drawing

Outlets, back boxes, switch heights and positions — agreed with the architect, the interior designer and the furniture layout. So that the socket sits where the desk will later stand.

02

Presence detector positioning

Not guessed but calculated: detection areas, seating, circulation routes and ranges room by room — a detector in the wrong place makes the best programming worthless.

03

DALI & lighting design

Efficient DALI design: number of luminaires per line, gateway sizing, cable routes and spare capacity — the basis for individually addressable light instead of switching groups.

04

KNX backbone & network

Bus cable and Cat cabling as a double backbone, plus access point positions for Wi-Fi without gaps — planned together, laid together.

05

Conduit concept

To every roller shutter, window contact and ceiling outlet, out to the façade for later cameras and into the garden — the cheapest component with the greatest future value.

06

Multiroom & media technology

Loudspeaker positions, cabling for recessed and invisible speakers, subwoofer, projector and screen — multiroom at this level is made at shell stage, not afterwards.

07

Distribution boards & load distribution

Distribution boards with real spare capacity instead of crammed cabinets, circuits and protection properly calculated — including wallbox, heat pump and PV loads.

08

PV, storage & wallbox

Supply cables, meter positions and communication routes for photovoltaics, storage and charging points — prepared even if the system only arrives in three years.

09

Spare capacity for the future

A house is not planned for five years. We build spare capacity into conduits, distribution boards and cable routes — for technology that does not yet exist.

How we work

Four steps before the screed goes down.

1

Floor plan & functional concept

From your floor plan and the smart home concept comes the electrical framework: what has to go where, what should stay possible later?

2

Installation & conduit design

Every outlet, every conduit, every reserve — drawn before the shell closes.

3

Coordination with the architect & trades

Outlet heights, interfaces to heating, ventilation and kitchen — our plans fit into the construction drawings.

4

Inspection before the walls close

We check the installation before the walls close — after that, every correction means chasing out.

Proven

Electrical design that survives building sites.

01

Riyadh: the complete engineering

Electrical, smart home and network design for 1,200 m² — planned from Cologne, built on site, with the control cabinet supplied.

02

Oberkassel: a period building, complete

Complete electrical installation in a historic period building — smart home and smart office, without touching its character.

03

Installed by elektrofabrik

Our sister company builds what we draw — or your own contractor works from our documentation.

View all projects
Where we work

Smart home electrical planning in Cologne, Düsseldorf & NRW.

smartfabrik is a smart home planning practice based in Düsseldorf (Reisholzer Werftstr. 31A). We plan for private clients and companies in Cologne, Düsseldorf and across North Rhine-Westphalia — and, where wanted, nationwide and internationally. A selection of the places we have already planned and delivered in:

FAQ

Frequently asked questions on electrical design.

What distinguishes smart home electrical design from ordinary electrical design?

Conventional design supplies rooms with power and light. Smart home electrical design adds the control infrastructure on top: KNX bus cables, sensor positions, larger distribution boards, network cabling and spare conduits. Much of that costs only material and care at shell stage – afterwards it costs open walls. Which is why this design belongs at the start of a project, not at the end.

How many conduits does a smart home need?

More than any shell contractor lays of his own accord – but fewer than some forums claim. We plan them deliberately: shading, window contacts, ceiling points, outdoor areas, media positions and spare routes per storey. What matters is not the quantity but the system: every conduit has a documented purpose and an end that can be found. With us that is on the drawing, not in the installer's head.

Can my own electrician work from the drawings?

Yes. Our documents are made for it: distribution board drawings, cable schedules, outlet plans with mounting heights, KNX topology. Any qualified electrical contractor can install from them; we are reachable for queries throughout the construction phase. Alternatively our sister company elektrofabrik takes on the installation – planning and fitting then come from one group, with short lines.

What happens if the electrical installation is already under way?

Then every week counts. We check where things stand and secure what can still be saved – bus cables and conduits can often still be added as long as nothing has been plastered. The honest answer: some options will already be gone. We tell you plainly what is still possible, what becomes a compromise and what you are better off leaving.

Does a refurbishment always mean a new distribution board?

Not always, but often yes: KNX actuators, terminal blocks and spare capacity need room that old distribution boards rarely offer. We assess what is there honestly – sometimes an additional sub-distribution board for the smart home equipment is enough, sometimes a new distribution board is the cleanest solution. We settle that on site, before you order anything.

Part of the living themeEnergy & efficiency
The first step

Let's plan before building starts.

The earlier we are involved, the cheaper every decision becomes — let us talk about your floor plan.

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