Caveau du Château in Ampuis creates complex lighting scenes with KNX products from Theben

The Caveau du Château of the Guigal family is located in the heart of the Côte-Rôtie wine-growing region. The dedicated wine venue was equipped with complex lighting scenes using Theben KNX products.

 

Task

  • KNX system in combination with sophisticated DALI lighting control for diverse, creative lighting scenes in various lighting zones

Solution

  • 2 KNX lines with KNX power supplies and IPsecure KNX routers
  • DALI-Gateways KNX plus as the interface between the KNX system and DALI lighting control
  • Presence detectors theRonda S 360-100 Flat and PresenceLight 180B KNX for presence-dependent lighting control indoors and outdoors
  • KNX universal dimming actuators, KNX blind actuators and KNX binary input/output sensor interfaces
  • Simple creation of individual lighting scenes for different lighting zones

The Caveau du Château in Ampuis is a remarkable place to discover and taste exceptional wines from the Rhône Valley: Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Hermitage, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and many others. The building owned by the Guigal family was renovated between 2017 and 2019 and transformed into a unique place dedicated to oenology, gastronomy and two thousand years of history and culture.

 

A place of exchange at the service of exceptional wines

The Caveau du Château offers an experiential space around the wines of the Rhône Valley. Several rooms are spread over three levels for a convivial and sensory visit: a museum dedicated to the history of viticulture, oenology and cooperage, a 130 m2 seminar room for oenogastronomic events and a large tasting and sales room. This room houses the wines of the four great houses of the Guigal family: Maison Guigal. Château de Nalys, Maison Vidal-Fleury and Domaine de Bonserine. In the adjoining vaulted room "des trésors", the exceptional wines of the houses can be discovered.

 

KNX technology as the basis for lighting control

For the renovation, and to meet Philippe Guigal's very precise lighting requirements, Martinet-Andrieux Electricité installed a KNX network to manage and control the dimmable luminaires both indoors and outdoors. The use of KNX technology proved essential to enhance the site and the rooms, and to enlarge the vaulted cellar for wine tasting. In addition, a variety of lighting scenarios were to be programmed. Numerous KNX products from Theben were used, in particular DALI/KNX gateways, theRonda Flat presence detectors and PresenceLight 180 presence detectors. "We met Philippe Guigal's very precise expectations for the lighting of the chateau cellar", explains Stéphane Martinet-Andrieux. "The aesthetic design of the lighting scenes formed a decisive criteria with a level of requirements that is rarely asked for!" The Martinet-Andrieux Electricité team then opted for a KNX infrastructure, which was slightly more expensive but met perfectly Mr Guigal's expectations. At the same time, it was flexible, expandable and adaptable for future changes. "We previously used the IHC protocol, which is no longer available. Now we use KNX and are very happy with it. As soon as our projects allow, we will also install KNX in high-end residential projects", explains Stéphane Martinet-Andrieux.

 

DALI gateways as cornerstones of the KNX architecture

The lighting groups in the chateau basement are managed and controlled by Theben DALI gateways. These connect the lighting networks to the KNX bus. This includes all rooms in the building as well as the outdoor areas, the landscaped park and the path markings. "On each DALI gateway you can create different lighting zones, and on each luminaire track you can customise each light" describes Geoffrey Platet, Integrator at Martinet-Andrieux Electricité. "The possibilities are as varied as the customer's wishes. For example, each luminaire can be dimmed individually and scenes can be created, such as automatically lowering the lighting by 30 %. Since the KNX installation can be changed quickly, we use the Test & Learn mode to implement the customer's changing needs. Together with the customer, we determine what works and what needs to be adapted", explains Geoffrey Platet. "For the client, the results of the adjustments are very quickly visible, especially in the spaces with public traffic such as the tasting room on the first floor and the museum in the basement. This enhancement of the rooms and the exceptional wines, through lighting is a great showcase for the Guigal family and for us", Stéphane Martinet-Andriex is pleased to say.

 

About the House of Guigal

The Guigal estate was founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal in Ampuis, the cradle of the Côte-Rôtie appellation. Today, the third generation continues the work of the family business. Since its foundation, the business has developed greatly and has become a major player in the Rhône Valley with the takeovers of the House of Vidal-Fleury, the Domaine de Bonserine and later, the Château de Nalys. This has enabled the Guigal family not only to consolidate its position in the Côte-Rôtie appellation, but also to offer an exclusive range of the great appellations of the Rhône Valley, including Condrieu, Hermitage, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage. The Caveau du Château is the Guigal family's latest achievement as a place entirely dedicated to wine tourism.

 

About Martinet-Andrieux Electricité

Founded in 1973 by Michel Martinet Andrieux in the commune of Ampuis, between Vienne and Condrieu, the company specialises in general electrics and KNX building services. The offices and workshops are located in the former Biscuiterie d'Ampuis on an historic site in the centre of the commune. Martinet Andrieux Electricité is part of the HSMA Group, founded in 2009 by Stéphane Martinet-Andrieux to continue the diversification and development of the company. Today, the HSMA Group has 40 employees spread across four companies: Martinet-Andrieux Electricité, AM Securité, CLIM AIR ENERGIE and ERE. The technical management of the project within the company was the responsibility of Claude Gay as site manager and Geoffrey Platet as KNX integrator.

 

KNX components from Theben used

 

Electrical installation

Martinet-Andrieux Electricité, Ampuis

www.martinet-andrieux.fr