Country House in Rothrist, Switzerland

When the Swiss owner decided to build his new home in Rothrist, he had one clear reference point for smart home technology: KNX. It’s what everyone in Switzerland uses. TapHome wasn’t on his radar — until Stur-Bax showed him what it could do.

The result is a 330 m² three-storey home with a clear purpose for each level: the top floor is a short-term rental apartment, the middle floor is the owner’s private residence, and the basement serves as shared space — laundry, storage, and a workshop for his motorsport hobby. Two households, one system.

Heating 12 zones — two apartments, one core

The heating challenge here was structural. Each apartment has its own underfloor manifold with an independent circulation pump. TapHome controls both pumps separately — each fires up only when its apartment actually needs heat. Across the two floors, that means 12 independently regulated zones.

The result is meaningful energy savings: the rental apartment can be tempered down when unoccupied and brought back to comfort temperature ahead of guest arrival, all from a phone. The owner’s floor follows its own schedule entirely independently.

Blinds that follow a schedule — and know when you’re away

Five motorised blinds run on a daily schedule that the owner sets himself. When he’s home, the schedule reflects his routine. When he’s away — whether for a weekend or a longer holiday — he switches to a different programme with a single tap. No manual override needed, no coming home to a sun-baked apartment.

Fresh air, presence-aware

The Dantherm heat recovery unit keeps the home ventilated year-round. TapHome controls it based on the occupancy state of each apartment — active use, tempering mode, or unoccupied. When guests are staying upstairs and the owner is downstairs, both ventilation zones run on separate logic. Clean air without waste.

TapHome in KNX Country

“What was most remarkable about this project was proving that TapHome can go where people don’t know it yet — and showing them exactly what they’d be missing without it.”

— Benedikt Šturman, Stur-Bax