diff --git a/main/src/com/google/refine/clustering/ClustererConfig.java b/main/src/com/google/refine/clustering/ClustererConfig.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d7f5d4842
--- /dev/null
+++ b/main/src/com/google/refine/clustering/ClustererConfig.java
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+package com.google.refine.clustering;
+
+import org.json.JSONObject;
+
+import com.google.refine.Jsonizable;
+import com.google.refine.model.Project;
+
+/**
+ * Represents the configuration data for a clusterer.
+ * @author Antonin Delpeuch
+ *
+ */
+public abstract class ClustererConfig implements Jsonizable {
+    
+    protected String columnName;
+    
+    /**
+     * Reads the configuration from a JSON payload (TODO: delete)
+     * @param o
+     */
+    public void initializeFromJSON(JSONObject o) {
+        columnName = o.getString("column");
+    }
+    
+    public String getColumnName() {
+        return columnName;
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Instantiate the configuration on a particular project.
+     * @param project
+     * @return
+     */
+    public abstract Clusterer apply(Project project);
+}
diff --git a/main/src/com/google/refine/clustering/binning/BinningClusterer.java b/main/src/com/google/refine/clustering/binning/BinningClusterer.java
index 5d7e00ab9..1da042dbb 100644
--- a/main/src/com/google/refine/clustering/binning/BinningClusterer.java
+++ b/main/src/com/google/refine/clustering/binning/BinningClusterer.java
@@ -238,13 +238,6 @@ public class BinningClusterer extends Clusterer {
         }
     }
     
-    @Deprecated
-    public void initializeFromJSON(Project project, JSONObject o) throws Exception {
-        BinningClustererConfig config = new BinningClustererConfig();
-        config.initializeFromJSON(o);
-        initializeFromConfig(project, config);
-    }
-    
     public void initializeFromConfig(Project project, BinningClustererConfig config) {
         super.initializeFromConfig(project, config);
         _keyer = config.getKeyer();
diff --git a/main/src/com/google/refine/clustering/knn/kNNClusterer.java b/main/src/com/google/refine/clustering/knn/kNNClusterer.java
index 22ab1a3ff..d80f05f7c 100644
--- a/main/src/com/google/refine/clustering/knn/kNNClusterer.java
+++ b/main/src/com/google/refine/clustering/knn/kNNClusterer.java
@@ -253,13 +253,6 @@ public class kNNClusterer extends Clusterer {
             return _clusterer.getClusters(_radius);
         }
     }
-        
-    @Deprecated
-    public void initializeFromJSON(Project project, JSONObject o) throws Exception {
-        kNNClustererConfig config = new kNNClustererConfig();
-        config.initializeFromJSON(o);
-        initializeFromConfig(project, config);
-    }
     
     public void initializeFromConfig(Project project, kNNClustererConfig config) {
         super.initializeFromConfig(project, config);
diff --git a/main/src/com/google/refine/commands/browsing/ComputeClustersCommand.java b/main/src/com/google/refine/commands/browsing/ComputeClustersCommand.java
index 0064db9a4..1c80c1863 100644
--- a/main/src/com/google/refine/commands/browsing/ComputeClustersCommand.java
+++ b/main/src/com/google/refine/commands/browsing/ComputeClustersCommand.java
@@ -45,8 +45,9 @@ import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import com.google.refine.browsing.Engine;
 import com.google.refine.clustering.Clusterer;
-import com.google.refine.clustering.binning.BinningClusterer;
-import com.google.refine.clustering.knn.kNNClusterer;
+import com.google.refine.clustering.ClustererConfig;
+import com.google.refine.clustering.binning.BinningClusterer.BinningClustererConfig;
+import com.google.refine.clustering.knn.kNNClusterer.kNNClustererConfig;
 import com.google.refine.commands.Command;
 import com.google.refine.model.Project;
 
@@ -64,16 +65,17 @@ public class ComputeClustersCommand extends Command {
             Engine engine = getEngine(request, project);
             JSONObject clusterer_conf = getJsonParameter(request,"clusterer");
 
-            Clusterer clusterer = null;
             String type = clusterer_conf.has("type") ? clusterer_conf.getString("type") : "binning";
             
+            ClustererConfig clustererConfig = null;
             if ("knn".equals(type)) {
-                clusterer = new kNNClusterer();
+                clustererConfig = new kNNClustererConfig();
             } else  {
-                clusterer = new BinningClusterer();
+                clustererConfig = new BinningClustererConfig();
             }
                 
-            clusterer.initializeFromJSON(project, clusterer_conf);
+            clustererConfig.initializeFromJSON(clusterer_conf);
+            Clusterer clusterer = clustererConfig.apply(project);
             
             clusterer.computeClusters(engine);