What architects should specify at Stage 3 for smart lighting

At Stage 3, the risk is not choosing the wrong brand — it is letting every tenderer assume a different topology, keypad mix and commissioning boundary. The paragraphs below are the ones we see save money and arguments later.

KNX, Rako, Lutron and Control4 in one sentence each

KNX is a fieldbus: disciplined, integrator-friendly, excellent when AV, HVAC and lighting must share a single train of thought. Rako is wireless-first lighting control that behaves well in residential-scale projects when the RF plan is taken seriously. Lutron remains the default where shade, lighting and keypads are expected to feel like a single product family — at a cost premium that should be budgeted from the outset rather than absorbed during tender. Control4 is specified where AV is a primary requirement: home cinema, distributed audio and multi-room streaming presented through a single homeowner interface, with a dealer-led integration model suited to projects where AV scope is significant.

What to lock before tender

• Dimming protocol per circuit type (LED module compatibility is not a footnote).
• Scene count, naming convention and who owns scene changes after handover.
• Fail-safe behaviour for outages — especially in heritage and hotel-type briefs.
• Where the integrator’s commissioning responsibility ends and FM begins.

Spec language that survives value engineering

Avoid “compatible with all major systems”. Instead: “Lighting control shall be delivered as a commissioned system with named scenes, documented DALI islands where applicable, and firmware baselined at handover.” Your electrical contractor can help you tune that sentence to the project — but the intent must be testable.

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