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Foreword

2018 has been an important milestone for the Smart Living Lab, as it marks its fifth anniversary and the end of the first chapter of its history. The Building2050 research projects, whose mission was to prepare the design of the future Smart Living Lab Building, have now been completed and their results translated into the MEP (Parallel Studies Mandate) tender document, which was launched at the beginning of the year. Four interdisciplinary teams made up of architects and engineers came through an international selection and produced a draft MEP as part of an innovative, collaborative, and open competition. The Canton of Fribourg reiterated its commitment to the project, allocating CHF 25 million for construction of the building.

Two new EPFL labs were created on the Fribourg site, and a third HEIA-FR institute joined the Smart Living Lab. In this context, the Building2050 group has repositioned itself as a support body for research.

The NeighborHub returned to Fribourg following its victory at the Solar Decathlon competition in the United States in 2017, and was opened at the heart of the blueFACTORY site. The social, cultural, and scientific activities that are organized there allow people to participate in neighbourhood life and in the research carried out within the Smart Living Lab. A spin-off was even launched by former solar decathletes in order to expand the concept of being a sustainable activator.

In terms of promotion, the Smart Living Lab was introduced to the general public as guest of honour at the Energissima fair in 2018. Its activities have gained more visibility thanks to its new website, which was completely updated in 2018.

Anne-Claude Cosandey, who led the project as head of operations, handed over the baton at the end of the year. Her commitment was a key factor in implementing the research centre’s work from the very beginning, setting up its facilities and building up the team before expanding the new research groups’ activities to their full extent, as well as developing partnerships with both the private and public sectors. The success of this first phase and the vital contribution of Anne-Claude Cosandey to the implementation of the Smart Living Lab have been unanimously acclaimed.

This annual report summarizes the highlights and key milestones of the Smart Living Lab during 2018. We will now take new steps that will further shape the lab’s identity, thanks to the project definition of the building. We hope that the research that has been made possible thanks to the Smart Living Lab’s unique framework will continue to support innovation locally and to be promoted internationally.

Martin Gonzenbach, Director of Operations
Marilyne Andersen, Academic Director

The Smart Living Lab in a nutshell

The Smart Living Lab is a research and development centre for the future of the built environment. Its activities are driven by the well-being of its users, energy efficiency, and digital transformation.

The Smart Living Lab brings together the combined expertise of the EPFL, the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg (HEIA-FR), and the University of Fribourg (UNIFR) in the areas of construction technologies, well-being and behaviours, interactions and design processes, and energy systems for the built environment.

This living lab hosts interdisciplinary research projects involving users and companies as well as researchers, and is located in the blueFACTORY innovation site at the heart of the Switzerland Innovation Park (SIP) Network West EPFL. The construction of an experimental building for the Smart Living Lab on this site is slated for 2020.

95 / 60
people / FTE
31 / 27
EPFL
46 / 24
HEIA-FR
18 / 9
UNIFR
107
Projects
11
Research groups
40
Events

Spotlight on research

Research domains

Well-being and behaviours
Improve human health and comfort by optimizing indoor environmental quality and influencing behaviours in a positive way.

Construction technologies
Monitor resource efficiency and accelerate processes of change in construction.

Interactions and design processes
Understand and structure dialogue among stakeholders in the building lifecycle to develop the tools to design, model, and operate buildings.

Energy systems
Develop smart energy-efficient systems and technologies, improve their management, and anticipate legal and economic impacts.

New research groups

TEBEL contributes to the overall energy goal of Swiss and global society and to the advancement of thermal engineering for the built environment by following a holistic approach – examining the entire chain of energy conversion, from primary resources to end use by building occupants.

HOBEL’s research is based on maintaining a sustainable and healthy built environment, focusing on indoor air quality and distribution, ventilation systems, human exposure to atmospheric pollution, the dynamics of airborne pollutants inside buildings, thermal comfort, and energy efficiency.

iTEC develops methods, technological processes and products in the field of civil engineering and the built environment. In the context of the Smart Living Lab, the Institute’s competences and specialties lie in construction technologies and processes. The Institute has already been involved in design work, modelling, and digital simulation, as well as both small-scale and full-scale testing of solutions for reducing the embodied energy of construction elements and their broader environmental impact.

Research projects

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Well-being and Behaviors
Construction Technologies
Interactions and Design Processes
Energy Systems
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EPFL SXL
EPFL FAR
EPFL TEBEL
EPFL HOBEL
EPFL Building 2050
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
HEIA-FR ENERGY
HEIA-FR iTEC
UNIFR iimt
UNIFR Human-IST
UNIFR Institute for Swiss and international construction Law
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New
On going
Complete
Arc-HEST
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Arc-HEST
Direction
Dolaana Khovalyg, Dusan Licina, Raphaël Compagnon, Stephanie Teufel, Anton Sentic, Denis Lalanne
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors, Interactions and Design Processes, Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL HOBEL, EPFL TEBEL, HEIA-FR TRANSFORM, UNIFR iimt, UNIFR Human-IST
Status
new
Swiss-Korean Academic Exchange Program ARC-HEST: Architecture for Human Environment with Smart Technologies Six universities from Switzerland and South Korea have developed an exchange program focusing on studying the working environment in both countries in conjunction with local culture and architecture.
Atlas du logement
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Atlas du logement
Direction
Frédéric Frank
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Source of Funding
HES-SO
Status
new
The Housing Atlas is a source information about typomorphological features. Developed by the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg (HEIA-FR) over ten years ago and updated at regular intervals by several professors, this online database was initially used by students. The current online database now needs to be completely redesigned to expand the current user community to include new target groups, specifically researchers and practitioners in the field of architecture. A working group comprised of architecture professors was established in the autumn of 2018 to assess the feasibility of this professionalisation project, which would entail the removal of content having limited relevance to HEIA-FR, the enhancement and restructuring of existing content and the addition of missing elements. In parallel to the project to redesign the online database, a project to develop a publication on contemporary housing will also be launched
Clothing and its influence on exposure to environmental chemicals, particles and microbes
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Clothing and its influence on exposure to environmental chemicals, particles and microbes
Direction
Dusan Licina
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL HOBEL
Source of Funding
EPFL
Status
new
Strong evidence suggests that clothing serves as a reservoir of chemical pollutants and particles, including bioaerosols, which may have health significance. However, little is known about the role that clothing may play in exposing people to airborne chemicals and particles. This project aims to better understand the role of clothing in exposure to gaseous species and particulate matter including bioaerosols. The results of this project will add knowledge and understanding of the role of clothing in contributing to primary and secondary exposure routes and could ultimately help strengthen exposure and risk assessments. The knowledge gained could also prove worthwhile for characterizing interventions to mitigate the transfer of airborne pollutants from clothing to the respiratory tract.
ConDensUrbEN
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ConDensUrbEN
Direction
Daia Zwicky
Team
Andrea Bernasconi, Stefanie Schwab, Sebastien Lasvaux, Paride Uboldi, Kyriaki Goulouti
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes, Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR iTEC, HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Academic, public and industrial Partners
HEIG-VD (insit, LESBAT)
Source of Funding
HES-SO P1 "Nature & Ville"
Status
new
All demographic forecasts indicate that population density in urban areas will rise considerably in the coming decades. In order to limit urban sprawl and the resulting encroachment into agricultural and natural areas, urban areas need to be densified inwardly. This is also a requirement set out in the latest Spatial Planning Act (SPA), which takes into account a wide and variable range of old urban buildings. In order to accommodate a growing number of inhabitants over a constant ground surface, living spaces must reach towards the sky (because no one really wants to live underground). This baseline situation raises the following questions: 1) What building materials and techniques can be used to expand residential surface area by increasing the number of floors of current building structures without disproportionately affecting existing constructions and surroundings? 2) How to ensure that current and future economic, ecological and comfort constraints of users and citizens are taken into account in this vertical growth? Increasing the number of floors of existing buildings implies very different requirements from those of new constructions, particularly in terms of the production and use of construction elements. In order to avoid disproportionate overload of existing buildings, the installed construction elements must essentially be very light: lightweight materials can be used to produce normal-sized construction elements or high-strength materials can be used to produce very thin elements, decreasing overall weight in this manner. Economic and environmental performance depends on the materials, manufacturing and implementation methods used. Emphasis should therefore be placed on prefabrication or simple on-site implementation. Similarly, performance is also determined by the thermal envelope and finishing work ("non-load-bearing') needed to ensure the comfort of users. This, in turn, will mainly depend on the requirements arising from current and future building physics (which will increase as a result of dense cohabitation and climate change). The project should lead to specific technical proposals for the densification of urban living areas through the economic raising of existing buildings. These construction techniques will have to meet the multiple, complex and increased requirements resulting from denser cohabitation and more extreme temperatures associated with climate change. At the same time, a balance with nature should be achieved in terms of preserving natural resources and reducing both greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption.
Energy and indoor environmental quality assessment in Swiss dwellings
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Energy and indoor environmental quality assessment in Swiss dwellings
Direction
Joelle Goyette, Dusan Licina
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors, Energy Systems
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL HOBEL
Source of Funding
Multiple
Status
new
The depletion of natural energy resources along with the increase of energy costs have made energy savings a priority. This led to a process of rethinking building practices so as to make them most sustainable and economical in terms of its energy consumption by ensuring the air tightness and a good thermal insulation. As a consequence of sealed homes, ventilation rates have reduced, and there is an increased presence of moisture, and higher concentration of pollutants in the indoor environment. The deterioration of the indoor air quality and the appearance of occupants non‐specific health disorders are the consequences. The research objective is to determine impace of energy‐efficient building practices on indoor air quality. These projects aim at evaluating indoor air quality in a large sample of new or refurbished energy‐efficient single‐family dwellings by analysing individuals' exposure to radon, VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and molds. In these buildings a particular attention has been brought to the effective air tightness of the envelope as well as to the ventilation.
Etude innovation et logement social
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Etude innovation et logement social
Direction
Frédéric Frank
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Bruno Marchand (EPFL)
Source of Funding
Assocation pour la Création de logements Sociaux Innovants Genève
Status
new
The Association pour la Création de Logements Sociaux Innovants (ACLSI) asked a panel of experts from professional and academic (EPFL, HEG, HEIA) spheres to assess the innovation situation of social housing in the Geneva area. Taking into account the many observations made by architects in recent years, the aim was to identify – for each respective sectoral aspect - the obstacles to innovation and how these obstacles could be removed
Footprint Assessment of Reuse
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Footprint Assessment of Reuse
Direction
Corentin Fivet
Team
Catherine De Wolf
Resarch Domain
Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL SXL
Source of Funding
H2020 - Fonds Marie Skłodowska-Curie + EPFL
Status
new
Buildings represent over a third of global anthropogenic greenhouses emissions. Load-bearing elements are the biggest contributor to the embodied carbon of buildings. New pathways for its reduction are to be found in order to avoid extreme climate catastrophes. However, the task of designing building remains very complex and environmental measures often contradict each other. How good is a new design? Is it actually better and more appropriate than previous ones? How can we objectively assess the environmental benefits gained when reusing load-bearing components over multiple life-cycles?
Generative Grammars for Structural Exploration
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Generative Grammars for Structural Exploration
Direction
Corentin Fivet
Team
Ioannis Mirtsopoulos
Resarch Domain
Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL SXL
Source of Funding
EPFL
Status
new
Design is an ill-structured and costly problem whose complexity can significantly increase during the process due to emerging requirements. How can the computer help the designer during the early-stage design of structures? How should they communicate together? How can the machine provide instant feedback on performance requirements, allow for fast generative exploration of alternative solutions and be capable of unveiling unexpected structural typologies? Our approach to solve this challenge is to let the designer operate on not-yet-complete structural systems while being informed by the computer of what would be the best next moves. Grammar rules are used as the common interface between user and machine in order to control both interim topologies and geometries. The approach fosters a close collaboration between user and machine, ensuring that the design process benefits from the experience of both the former and the latter.
Human emissions of particle and bioaerosols: Controlled chamber study
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Human emissions of particle and bioaerosols: Controlled chamber study
Direction
Dusan Licina, Shen Yang
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL HOBEL
Source of Funding
EPFL
Status
new
Buildings represent habitats for various airborne pollutants that have direct or indirect effects on the quality of our living spaces, health, and well-being. As we spend most of our time in buildings, understanding sources and composition of indoor air pollutants is fundamental for interpreting the health risks and for developing improved building control measures to mitigate human exposure. Humans have been identified as strong contributors of airborne particles and bioeffluents in indoor spaces, not only through their activities, but also by continuos pollutant emissions from their skin, clothing as well as breath. The objective of this project is to use scientific-grade air quality instrumentation to characterize how human-associated emissions of particles and bioeffluents contribute to indoor air composition and to resulting inhalation exposures. The measurements will be performed in a controlled environmental chamber located in Fribourg (Switzerland).
Impact of air-flow on thermal performance of air-spaces behind opaque cladding
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Impact of air-flow on thermal performance of air-spaces behind opaque cladding
Direction
Dolaana Khovalyg
Team
Mohammad Rahiminejad
Resarch Domain
Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL TEBEL
Source of Funding
ASHRAE
Status
new
The heat transfer requirements for opaque building components are generally prescriptive and given as static values in building performance standards. However, the thermal resistance (U-value) of the building walls with air spaces incorporated behind the exterior cladding is dynamic in nature due to the dynamic thermo-hydraulic behaviour of the air inside the ventilated air gap. This study quantifies the effects of air change rates on the thermal resistance of vertical air spaces behind common types of ventilated wall structures by performing the following tasks: - Overview of existing methods for predicting air exchange rates behind ventilated coatings such as brick veneer and vinyl siding. - Identify the factors that influence air change rates, perform a parametric study and determine the weighting of each factor to the thermal resistance of the air gap. Based on the parametric study performed, test and design recommendations will be made to take into account the impact of ventilation air flow on the thermal resistance of vertical spaces behind the cladding surfaces.
Indoor environmental quality and satisfaction in conventional and green-certified buildings
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Indoor environmental quality and satisfaction in conventional and green-certified buildings
Direction
Dusan Licina
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL HOBEL
Source of Funding
EPFL
Status
new
Climate change accompanied with increased global urbanization have led to increased demand for built environments that operate energy-efficiently and use renewable sources of energy. In parallel, the percentage of time that people spend indoors has increased to approximately 90%, where the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) shapes occupants' health, well-being and the productivity. One of the main objectives of green and healthy building certification systems is to improve building design and operation with respect to the environmental impact and occupant satisfaction. However, few detailed studies have investigated whether such buildings lead to higher occupant satisfaction with IEQ. The specific objectives of this project are to compare the human satisfaction in green-certified and conventional buildings, and to assess and quantitatively compare IEQ parameters in such buildings.
Interactive Graphic Statics
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Interactive Graphic Statics
Direction
Corentin Fivet
Team
Ioannis Mirtsopoulos
Resarch Domain
Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL SXL
Source of Funding
EPFL
Status
new
Methods of graphic statics were created in the 19th Century, at a time when the pencil and the piece of paper were the common medium. Combined with contemporary graphical capabilities of computers, graphic statics gain new relevance for early-stage structural design. Rather than assuming that modern graphic statics are just a computerized version of classical graphic statics, the old methods leading to the construction of graphic statics diagrams should be reinvented in order for designers to benefit the most from the new digital medium.
Literature analysis of living lab methods in Human Computer Interaction literature
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Literature analysis of living lab methods in Human Computer Interaction literature
Direction
Hamed Alavi, Denis Lalanne
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Univeristy College London
Status
new
152 papers in the domain of Human-Computer Interaction that describe a living lab study are analyzed to create a structured understanding of how living lab methods have evolved in this domain.
Longitudinal assessment of human inhalation exposures
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Longitudinal assessment of human inhalation exposures
Direction
Dusan Licina Viviana Gonzalez
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL HOBEL
Source of Funding
EPFL
Status
new
Adverse health effects from air pollutant exposure are a global issue. As they circulate throughout their daily indoor (e.g., working, studying, playing, exercising) and outdoor activities (e.g., driving, biking, walking), people inhale air that is likely to poorly resemble the outdoor air quality that is commonly reported by governmental agencies and weather stations. In order to accurately assess individual level exposure to environmental pollutants, and ultimately its impact on health and well-being, it is important to better understand exposure in diverse indoor and outdoor spaces throughout human daily cycles. The objective of this project is to improve the understanding of exposure levels to carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter, which will be done with a portable scientific instruments and samplers.
MACADAM
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MACADAM
Direction
Joëlle Goyette Pernot
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Reto Camponovo, Peter Gallinelli, Victor Guillot (Hepia Genève)
Source of Funding
HES-SO
Status
new
The urban environment affects the physical, social and mental well-being of inhabitants. In Switzerland as elsewhere, the main urban centres experience strong pressure to densify both for economic reasons (appeal of urban life, concentration of activities) and legal ones (i.e. the Spatial Planning Act). The climate outlook shows that these developments will be exacerbated in urban areas. The urban trees that politicians rely on to temper the climate are already heavily impacted. The strong constraints to come must be understood and anticipated without delay, given the lifespan of urban developments and planted green spaces. Readings taken in several large Swiss cities using the microclimate-meter developed by hepia have made it possible to highlight situations that cannot be explained on the basis of the state of knowledge or modelling. For example: a) Why is it that trees do not always have a cooling effect in urban areas? b) Why is it that bodies of water only rarely produce the expected freshness? c) How can we ensure that urban areas are properly used as a means of climate control? d) How can green spaces in urban areas help to improve the climate situation? In order to ensure targeted climate policies and subsequent expenditure and achieve the expected ecosystem services, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms that influence Swiss urban microclimates, and specifically to identify the conditions that limit tree development in the urban areas. With this aim in mind, the MACADAM project involves: a) taking detailed microclimatic readings. b) documenting and analysing the contributions of each element affecting the identified areas, namely: plant, water, materiality and their spatial distribution. c) creating useful indicators to assess the microclimatic context of people and vegetation. d) drafting a reference guide illustrating case studies and providing concise, factual explanations on how the various elements interact in an urban setting. The project is intended to contribute objective knowledge on the determinants of urban microclimate. Solid knowledge and appropriate references will enable communities, urban planners, developers and landscape architects to effectively implement measures that improve the well-being of city dwellers. The contribution of green spaces is a strong element in these strategies and will only be effective if the right conditions are in place for their development.
Mediation under the Swiss Civil Proceedings Code
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Mediation under the Swiss Civil Proceedings Code
Direction
Martin Beyeler
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Institute for Swiss and international construction law
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
new
Commentary to articles 213–218 of Swiss Civil procedures Code (mediation during court proceedings).
OptiBat_GWP
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OptiBat_GWP
Direction
Daia Zwicky
Team
Daniel Kellenberger, Adam Attila Meszes, Arne Sussdorf
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes, Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR iTEC
Academic, public and industrial Partners
intep GmbH Zürich
Source of Funding
Energie Schweiz
Status
new
Apart from the 'performance gap', we now know how to achieve lower or even negligible energy consumption in buildings in the operating phase. However, the savings are clearly at the expense of building materials and their consumption of non-renewable primary energy ('grey energy') and associated greenhouse gas emissions. The final extent of building material consumption is influenced to a greater or lesser extent, favourably or unfavourably, by decisions reached in the various planning phases of a building. Progressive builders and planners often want to know how much environmental savings potential can still be tapped in specific planning phases through the use of alternative 'green' building materials. Alternative building materials therefore have little chance of being implemented, even though their use in load-bearing and non-load-bearing structures is becoming increasingly important as part of the Energy Strategy 2050. Moreover, an environmental assessment is hardly feasible under current conditions and their potential cannot be fully exploited. The proposed project is therefore intended to pursue two objectives: (a) creation of benchmarks (incl. possible variations of primary energy sources and greenhouse gas emissions) for the construction of buildings in the respective planning phase, and (b) development of simplified procedures for measuring the volume of primary energy sources and greenhouse gas emissions for non-standardised building materials. For the preliminary study phase, MINERGIE-ECO projects will be evaluated on the basis of suitable key figures for the project. Case studies of different types of load-bearing structures will be used to show the savings potential that can be achieved in the preliminary design phase. Then case studies comparing the most common building components and materials with ecofriendly alternatives will be used to demonstrate the savings potential that can be achieved in the construction phase. Finally, case studies of interior fittings will be be used to demonstrate the savings potential in the implementation phase. In addition to these evaluations, a methodology will be developed for simplified life cycle assessment of alternative (low-tech) and recycled building materials. This methodology will be applied to the design of new components, which offer the possibility of even lower environmental impact during the construction phase. The results of the study will be presented in a report and condensed into a guideline in German, French and Italian on the optimisation potential of primary energy sources / greenhouse gas emissions in the construction of buildings and common components at different planning phases. The results of the study can also serve as a basis for updating life cycle assessment databases, developing alternative new construction solutions and as a starting point for specific additions to reconstruction procedures.
PROSEN
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PROSEN
Direction
Florinel Radu
Team
Nicole Jan
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Academic, public and industrial Partners
PRO SENECTUTE VAUD
Source of Funding
Fondation Leenaards
Status
new
The project should lead to greater coherence and understanding of urban planning projects that include sustainability aspects, from a human, urbanistic and architectural perspective. The methodology will be used to ensure that the elderly continue to live at home under the best possible conditions and, therefore, to foster socially cohesive neighbourhood life. The collaborative project between PRO SENECTUTE VAUD and TRANSFORM presents a multidisciplinary structure intended to build bridges between the social and built environment for greater coherence of urban constructions and transformations.
Public Works and Transport under the Swiss Federal Constitution
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Public Works and Transport under the Swiss Federal Constitution
Direction
Martin Beyeler
Team
Prof. Dr. Nicolas Diebold (UNI-LU), Mlaw Martin Ludin (UNI-LU)
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Institute for Swiss and international construction law
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
new
Commentary to articles 81 (public works), 81a (public transportation), 82 (roads) and 88 (pedestrian ways and cycling paths) of Swiss federal constitution
Reversible Structures: Learning the future from the past
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Reversible Structures: Learning the future from the past
Direction
Corentin Fivet
Team
Jingxian Ye
Resarch Domain
SLL Core Research Group
Source of Funding
Chinese Science Council + EPFL
Status
new
The reuse of load-bearing components in new constructions is not a recent matter. The practice probably existed as soon as humans started to build shelters. However, the design of load-bearing systems for explicit or implicit reuse of components in future life-cycles is not very well documented. Some approaches and technologies have failed, others have succeeded. What can we learn from this vast experience? How can we use it to improve contemporary construction processes and techniques?
System analysis tool for socio-spatial innovation networks (SATIN)
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System analysis tool for socio-spatial innovation networks (SATIN)
Direction
Anton Sentic
Team
Yanina Iskhakova (iimt), Jonathan Parrat (Transform), Forinel Radu (Transform)
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors, Interactions and Design processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR iimt
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
new
In this research project iimt and TRANSFORM researchers combine social networks in the Smart Living Lab with its spatial structure in order to develop novel analytical tools for reviewing innovation spaces.
UrbEco
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UrbEco
Direction
Florinel Radu
Team
Ilse Bahnsen
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Claude Fischer (hepia Genève)
Source of Funding
HES-SO
Status
new
The expansion of urban areas and the development of transport links between urban areas is a reality that affects the entire Swiss Plateau. Although essential to the country's prosperity, the result is the fragmentation of natural environments, which threatens biodiversity and reduces living standards of the population, particularly urban dwellers. Faced with this reality, the Confederation has published its 'Swiss Biodiversity Strategy', which is intended to promote the conservation and development of ecosystem services, even in urban areas. The challenge is thus to reconcile the development of urban areas and transport routes with the maintenance of functional biological corridors. Each of these parts - communication routes and biological corridors - has a similar function, but for different landscape actors. They constitute networks of linear structures that connect reservoirs, agglomerations on the one hand and biodiversity reservoirs on the other. At the same time, they are preferential pathways enabling the expansion of agglomerations or natural environments respectively. The UrbEco project is intended to reconcile these needs by providing a decision-making tool for elected officials, managers and planners. This tool should ensure that urban development takes into account economic, social and environmental aspects at local and regional levels.
WooCon+
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WooCon+
Direction
Daia Zwicky
Team
Guillaume Habert, Francesco Pittau, Lukas Vögeli, Elena-Lavinia Niederhäuser, Adam Attila Meszes, Maxime Chiarelli
Resarch Domain
Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR iTEC
SLL Associated Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY
Academic, public and industrial Partners
ETHZ / IBI / SC
Source of Funding
SLL small-scale projects
Research Infrastructures
Atelier popup
Status
new
The project targets at evaluating relevant multifunctionality properties and ecological impacts of new slab elements to be developed. It aims at identifying thermal properties of newly developed wood-based "bio-concretes", and at evaluating impacts of different conceptual designs for hybrid slabs on overall energy consumption of a case study building and eco-balance. The projects also envisages fabrication of a demonstrator, in view of a potential commercialization of the construction system.
Active Interfaces - sub-projet 05 (Dissemination)
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Active Interfaces - sub-projet 05 (Dissemination)
Direction
Jean-Philippe Bacher
Team
Martin Boesiger
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY
SLL Associated Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY, EPFL LAST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
PV-Lab (EPFL), CSEM, LIPID (EPFL), ETHZ, HSG, HSLU, SUPSI
Source of Funding
Fonds national de la recherche scientifique suisse (FNS), PNR70
Research Infrastructures
LIRE
Status
ongoing
Building-integrated photovoltaic systems (BIPV) could be a high growth market with high impact for the economy and the "Energy turnaround". A better understanding of the technology acceptance and of the needs of the market is required for the design of optimised solutions and to ensure efficient knowledge and technology transfer. Value proposition breakdown along the value chain is essential to guarantee benefits for each actors.. The research will focus on the systems studied and developed in the joint project, in the context of urban renewal in general and applied to the City of Neuchâtel. Once realistic and promising value propositions will be assessed for the key market segments and technologies, the project will focus on the design and implementation of communication and knowledge transfer tools.
Active Interfaces - Project Coordinators and sub-projet 02 (Design)
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Active Interfaces - Project Coordinators and sub-projet 02 (Design)
Direction
Emmanuel Rey, Sophie Lufkin
Team
Sergi Aguacil, Marilyne Andersen, Giuseppe Peronato
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY, EPFL LIPID
SLL Associated Research Group
EPFL LAST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
PV-Lab (EPFL), CSEM, LIPID (EPFL), ETHZ, HSG, HSLU, SUPSI
Source of Funding
Fonds national de la recherche scientifique suisse (FNS), PNR70
Research Infrastructures
LIRE
Status
ongoing
Urban and architectural design is an important part of the necessary evolution towards the large-scale advanced implementation of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) into urban renewal processes. A key factor is finding a qualitative and quantitative way to link BIPV with the future renewal of the considerable existing building stock in the next decades. In that perspective, the main objectives of the subproject are to cross over the limits of the current practice and to develop a holistic strategy for BIPV-adapted solutions in urban renewal design processes in the Swiss context. In this respect, this project will contribute to significantly advance the architectural practice in the manner of addressing BIPV in urban renewal projects. By assuring the integration of applications-tests carried out on representative case studies in the City of Neuchâtel, this project will offer an attractive link between the development of industrial elements and the generation of operational knowledge directly integrated into new adapted solutions. It represents a strategic potential in terms of transferability and will have positive repercussions for the urban, architectural and constructive design practices.
BEANS Behavioural Analysis for Network Sustainability
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BEANS Behavioural Analysis for Network Sustainability
Direction
Stephanie Teufel
Team
Yves Hertig
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR iimt
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
ongoing
How prosumer behaviors influence the stability of an electricity network.
BlueCAD
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BlueCAD
Direction
Malik Kane
Team
Jérôme Kaempf
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY
Academic, public and industrial Partners
BFF SA, Groupe E Celsius, Service de l'Energie Fribourg
Source of Funding
HEIA-FR
Status
ongoing
Integration and optimization concept for advanced intelligent heat exchange networks, in operation at the blueFACTORY site in Fribourg.
Build-Unbuild-Repeat
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Build-Unbuild-Repeat
Direction
Corentin Fivet, Dario Redaelli
Team
Jan Bruetting, Alex Muresan, Daia Zwicky
Resarch Domain
Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL SXL, HEIA-FR iTEC
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Charpentes Vial SA, Ancotech SA
Source of Funding
SLL demo call
Research Infrastructures
Atelier PopUP
Status
ongoing
Design of a load-bearing system for office buildings, constrained for extreme versatility and reuse.
CIMI Conception d'éléments de construction intégraux multifonctionnels innovants
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CIMI Conception d'éléments de construction intégraux multifonctionnels innovants
Direction
Daia Zwicky
Team
Elena-Lavinia Niederhäuser, Hans Buüri, Mirhat Medziti, Adam Attila Meszes, Ludovic Favre, Michaël Morisod
Resarch Domain
Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR iTEC, HEIA-FR ENERGY, HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Source of Funding
SLL demo call
Status
ongoing
The aim of the CIMI project is to generate recommendations for the systematic design of construction elements, taking into account multiple requirements (such as static, building physics, energy production and storage, technical installations, economic and environmental factors, and architecture) for construction designs developed using innovative new materials as well as utilizing existing construction elements for new applications. The objective is to produce buildings that respect economic criteria as well as environmental concerns.
City Pulse
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City Pulse
Direction
Jean Hennebert
Team
Florinel Radu, Jean-Philippe Bacher, Jonathan Parrat
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM, HEIA-FR ENERGY
SLL Associated Research Group
HEIA-FR iCoSys
Source of Funding
SLL demo call
Status
ongoing
Road traffic has a considerable impact on the comfort and quality of life in our neighborhoods and cities, notably on air quality and noise pollution. The recent evolutions in sensors, communication networks and Big Data analytics open up new perspectives in the measurement and analysis of those impacts. The CityPulse project seeks to offer live, localized and continuous measurements of the city through the installation of a network of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors.
ComfortBox
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ComfortBox
Direction
Denis Lalanne
Team
Hamed Alavi
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Logitec
Source of Funding
?
Status
ongoing
Human-IST has developed an interactive device that measures environmental conditions, communicates objective comfort measurements with users, and receives feedback from them. Learning from user feedback helps to tune prospective behavior. ComfortBox is equipped with ten indoor environmental sensors that together can create an insight into indoor thermal, visual, and acoustic comfort, while also evaluating air quality. ComfortBox is intended to create a dialogue channel between human and building, and it can also evaluate indoor conditions in relation to the productivity and health of the occupants, especially over the long-term.
Concrete
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Concrete
Direction
Paolo Tombesi
Team
Ricardo Serpell
Resarch Domain
Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL FAR
Source of Funding
EPFL
Status
ongoing
FAR has been working on a study that seeks to verify/demonstrate the potential of local industry in Sri Lanka to support and/or accept transformations in the way concrete-based social housing is conceived of and procured. This by: 1) identifying economic and social elements that are lying dormant within existing cycles of housing development; 2) checking the ability of alternative and geographically available building fabrication systems to become part of the low-income housing supply chain; 3) considering the possibility of integrating unconventional practices, crafts and materials into such systems; 4) defining how the design and planning process could be modified so as to facilitate the implementation of the framework.
Crowd Energy
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Crowd Energy
Direction
Stephanie Teufel
Team
Bernd Teufel
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR iimt
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
ongoing
Identification of socioeconomic motivations and regulatory measures, as well as specific and sustainable funding policies supporting the Crowd Energy concept and, along with this, the energy turnaround.
Digital Infrastructure and Building Information Modeling (BIM) for the smart living lab's future building
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Digital Infrastructure and Building Information Modeling (BIM) for the smart living lab's future building
Direction
Florinel Radu
Team
Redouane Boumaref, Jean-Philippe Bacher, Matthieu Jourdan
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL Building 2050, HEIA-FR ENERGY, HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Source of Funding
smart living building research programm
Research Infrastructures
Bâtiment du Smart Living Lab
Status
ongoing
Identification of requirements concerning the Digital Infrastructure and Building Information Modeling (BIM) for the smart living lab's future building.
EET-CEA Energy-Efficient Technologies — Crowd Energy Applications
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EET-CEA Energy-Efficient Technologies — Crowd Energy Applications
Direction
Stephanie Teufel
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems, Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR iimt
Academic, public and industrial Partners
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Source of Funding
iimt UNIFR
Status
ongoing
The Journal of Electronic Science and Technology (JEST) is soliciting original manuscripts for its Special Section on Energy-Efficient Technologies (EET) — Crowd Energy Applications (CEA), which appears on JEST periodically. This Special Section on EET intends to bring together state-of-art research results and industrial applications of energy-efficient technologies. Professor Teufel presides over this issue's Special Section, while the Guest Editor and the JEST team focus on Crowd Energy Applications.
Energy Prosumer Research
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Energy Prosumer Research
Direction
Stephanie Teufel
Team
Christian Ritzel
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR iimt
Status
ongoing
A system analysis of already existing prosumer‐based organizational forms and an investigation of interest in becoming involved in prosumer‐based organizational forms.
ExpSEBI
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ExpSEBI
Direction
Dimitri Torregrossa
Team
Elena-Lavinia Niederhäuser, Antoine Boss, Mohamed Thebti
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY
Academic, public and industrial Partners
SCCER-FURIES, Aurora's Grid, Berner Fachhochschule, EMPA, PSA, LeClanché
Source of Funding
HEIA-FR, SCCER-FURIES, Aurora's Grid
Status
ongoing
The main purpose of this project is to investigate and optimize second-life scenarios of aged batteries with reduced performances compared with new ones in order to minimize the overall economic and environmental impact of the smart building.
InnovEM
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InnovEM
Direction
Elena-Lavinia Niederhäuser
Team
Didier Vuarnoz, Thibaut Schaffer, Gabriel Magnin
Resarch Domain
Energy systems
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY, EPFL Building 2050
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Groupe E
Source of Funding
SLL demo call
Status
ongoing
The goal of this project is to develop a demonstrator for testing the viability of new energy management systems. The physical infrastructure consists of a detached office unit, fully equipped with a heat pump, solar thermal and photovoltaic panels, and thermal and electrochemical storage. The testing of new energy management procedures developed in the framework of the smart living lab would then be possible in real conditions.
Insolight
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Insolight
Direction
Jérôme Kaempf
Team
Jérôme Kaempf, Julien Nembrini, Noé Bory
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems, Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY, UNIFR Human-IST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Insolight
Source of Funding
SLL demo call, Insolight
Research Infrastructures
LIRE
Status
ongoing
The goal of the proposed research is to establish the first cornerstone of a methodology and to develop a test and demonstration platform at the smart living lab to measure and assess the benefits of using innovative luminaires from both technical and user perspectives. Insolight has developed a smart LED panel with the ability to dynamically change its light beam output (in both direction and intensity). The panel takes the form of a smart luminaire for multi-functional spaces, adapting the light beam according to the user's task. This project proposal aims to install, benchmark and test the second-generation prototype with users of the "Halle Bleue". Ultimately, this project will demonstrate and potentially validate the interest in using such a luminaire in an office environment.
Interactive simulation of a Crowd Energy system
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Interactive simulation of a Crowd Energy system
Direction
Stephanie Teufel
Team
Anton Sentic, Christian Ritzel
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems, Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR iimt
Academic, public and industrial Partners
H. Glass
Source of Funding
SLL demo call, H. Glass
Status
ongoing
This project seeks to develop an interactive simulation of a Crowd Energy system, acting as a test bed for static and dynamic experiments on the sharing behavior of energy prosumers within the crowd. The experiments will focus on i) investment decisions and ii) the trading of energy/electricity among the crowd.
Jura
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Jura
Direction
Paolo Tombesi
Team
Ellan Spero
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL FAR
Source of Funding
EPFL
Status
ongoing
The history of watchmaking in the Jura Valley has produced a unique kind of industrial urbanism where urban design and building type have evolved almost together, to define spaces of production that were not only functional to their remit but also expandable within the city and across the land. Thus, the socio-technical history of watchmaking buildings constitutes a fertile area of investigation. FAR is working on a systematic technological review of approximately 200 factory buildings with specific typological traits across the valley, aiming at determining the degree of production-induced innovation in the building systems they used, both within the territory and as a theoretical step in the creation of industrial comparative advantage.
Jurad-Bat
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Jurad-Bat
Direction
Joëlle Goyette
Team
Céline de Potter-Longchamp, Théo Perrelet
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Academic, public and industrial Partners
EHE SA,Econs SA, OFSP, Planair SA
Source of Funding
Interreg
Status
ongoing
The goal of the Interreg France-Suisse Jurad-Bat project is to develop a trans-border platform to promote the pooling and sharing of experience and competencies, as well as training professionals in the area of radon risk management, which particularly affects the trans-border region of the Jurassic Arc. The platform will serve as a decision-making tool. www.jurad-bat.net
LORE Role of Experimental Environments in Enabling Path-Breaking Innovation
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LORE Role of Experimental Environments in Enabling Path-Breaking Innovation
Direction
Stephanie Teufel
Team
Anton Sentic
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR iimt
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
ongoing
The aim of this project is to develop an evaluation approach for innovation processes in experimental environments centered on learning, knowledge sharing and innovation empowerment, drawing on previous research on the role of experimental spaces as well as on empirical research.
MUBI Mobile user-building interface
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MUBI Mobile user-building interface
Direction
Julien Nembrini
Team
Himanshu Verma, Raphaël Tuor, Denis Lalanne
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST, HEIA-FR ENERGY
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Prona, BFF SA, UNIFR
Source of Funding
SLL demo call
Status
ongoing
The goal of the MUBI project is to propose a mobile interface to interact with a building database, allowing for the browsing of real-time environmental and energy data gathered by the building sensors relative to the space occupied by the user. Taking advantage of the mobile platform, it will also augment sensor data by gathering user comfort perception data, in order to analyze correlations between both datastreams. In this project, focus is placed on the development of a mobile tool with large diffusion potential in order to allow for its adaptation to different building contexts.
Multi-Confort
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Multi-Confort
Direction
Florinel Radu
Team
Sandy Ingram, Jean-Philippe Bacher
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM, HEIA-FR ENERGY
SLL Associated Research Group
HEIA-FR HumanTech
Academic, public and industrial Partners
La Mobilière, Logitech, Raiffeisen
Source of Funding
HEIA-FR, La Mobilière, Logitech, Raiffeisen
Status
ongoing
Systematic understanding of user comfort in offices
Niche analysis and actor network mapping of the smart living lab
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Niche analysis and actor network mapping of the smart living lab
Direction
Anton Sentic
Team
Yanina Iskahova
Resarch Domain
Interactions and design processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR iimt
Source of Funding
SLL demo call
Status
ongoing
The project idea here is to review the innovative performance of the smart living lab by conceptualizing it as a innovation niche / experimental space in the understanding of Strategic Niche Management (SNM) and Constructive Technology Assessment (CTA).
Public Procurement Case Law 2016/2017
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Public Procurement Case Law 2016/2017
Direction
Martin Beyeler
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Institute for Swiss and international construction law
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
ongoing
Comprehensive in-depth analysis of all 2016 and 2017 court decisions (Swiss Confederation, Swiss Cantons, European Court of Justice) about public procurement law cases published online; summaries of important court's considerations; editing of comments for legal science and legal practice
SCSC Societal Cyber Security Culture
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SCSC Societal Cyber Security Culture
Direction
Stephanie Teufel
Team
Bernd Teufel, Mahsa Rahimi
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR iimt
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
ongoing
This research focuses on: - Establishing a cybersecurity framework for Crowd Energy communities - Defining risk management for cybersecurity in Crowd Energy systems - Evaluating the proposed framework by simulation experiment
Shelter
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Shelter
Direction
Paolo Tombesi
Team
André Ullal Riccardo Vannucci
Resarch Domain
Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL FAR
Source of Funding
EPFL
Status
ongoing
The field of humanitarian shelter is fertile ground for innovation. New and innovative emergency shelter solutions are regularly produced yet the impact of these efforts on the challenge of housing populations displaced by disaster and conflict is minimal – rigid frame tents, prefabricated containers, and ad-hoc structures remain the norm. FAR's research into emergency shelter addresses the issues that hinder effective innovation. Rather than producing the next shelter design, FAR's work contributes to the development of a framework within which the value of new design solutions can be assessed, thereby supporting more effective innovation in the field.
Smart Connected Building
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Smart Connected Building
Direction
Serge Ayer
Team
Marco Mazza
Resarch Domain
Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
SLL Associated Research Group
HEIA-FR iPRINT, HEIA-FR iSIS
Academic, public and industrial Partners
HEIA-FR, Vidinoti, H-FR, ZT Medien, EM Microelectronics
Source of Funding
HEIA-FR, Vidinoti, HEFR, ZT Medien, EM Microelectronics
Status
ongoing
Constructing a connected building using a battery-free Bluetooth Low Energy mesh network
Smart Living Lab Building
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Smart Living Lab Building
Direction
Maryline Andersen, Thomas Jusselme
Team
Sergi Aguacil, Didier Vuarnoz, Justine Roman
Resarch Domain
Construction Technologies, Interactions and Design Processes, Well-being and Behaviors, Energy Systems
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL Building 2050
Research Infrastructures
CELLS
Status
ongoing
Construction of the Smart Living Lab's own dedicated building in Fribourg is set to begin in 2020. This multidisciplinary living laboratory will serve as a catalyst of progress, providing fertile ground for carrying out work in real conditions. The new building should encourage rigorous investigation and lateral thinking thanks to its range of facilities for different types of research activity. The building will be at the cutting edge of efficient resource use over its complete life cycle. Its construction comes 30 years in advance of Switzerland's 2050 energy targets.
Stock-Based Structural Form-Finding
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Stock-Based Structural Form-Finding
Direction
Corentin Fivet
Team
Jan Brütting, Gennaro Senatore, Joseph Desruelle
Resarch Domain
Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL SXL
Source of Funding
EPFL
Status
ongoing
The construction industry is a principal consumer of raw materials and one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gases and waste. The reuse of carrier system elements in new building projects remains an underutilized strategy for reducing the construction sector's environmental footprint. This research project develops algorithms to identify structural system geometries that make optimum use of existing component inventories. Full-scale prototypes are developed to demonstrate feasibility at the level of design detail. Finally, the environmental benefits of reuse are assessed using a life-cycle analysis.
Studying the spaces of crafting. A case study of curators interaction within exhibition spaces.
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Studying the spaces of crafting. A case study of curators interaction within exhibition spaces.
Direction
Hamed Alavi
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Bartlette School of Architecture
Source of Funding
?
Status
ongoing
In this project, spaces of artistic creation are studied in terms of their affordances for crafting, prototyping, and demonstrating ideas. The study also includes social factors such as how space is shared among a group of artists and how it is used for exchanging ideas.
Talk to the NeighborHub
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Talk to the NeighborHub
Direction
Jean-Philippe Bacher
Team
Florian Meyer, Matthieu Jourdan
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems, Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY
Source of Funding
SLL demo call
Research Infrastructures
NeighborHub
Status
ongoing
The Internet of Things (IoT) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) are examples of disruptive innovations that are changing the way we think about construction processes. They bring new opportunities to integrate and connect up a building's technical installations. The project makes use, in particular, of the Unity3D platform, openBIM tools, and the MQTT protocol. The NeighborHub, which came top in the Solar Decathlon 2017, has been reassembled at the blueFACTORY. It has an entirely modular software architecture, and was designed in accordance with the IoT paradigm. Current research seeks to demonstrate the opportunities and relevance of a convergence between IoT and BIM, and should greatly simplify the design and configuration of technical management systems for buildings, as well as generating human-building interfaces.
Technical Change
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Technical Change
Direction
Paolo Tombesi
Team
Riccardo Vannucci
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL FAR
Source of Funding
EPFL
Status
ongoing
The term innovation describes a process of "marginal substitution', whereby a specific task with defined objectives is carried out in a way that uses either a differently structured or a new combination of components, or alters tested procedures. Since the building industry does not provide the same level of means, motives and opportunities for beneficial technical change evenly across its sectors, we could exploit our ability to understand what makes a context conducive to particular strands of innovation, and assign products in that context explicit "industrial development' responsibilities. FAR's research into technical change investigates how building products developed in suitable sectors could be targeted to act indirectly as Trojan horses for horizontal product innovation in other sectors.
The impact of nomadic work spaces on the productivity of amazon mechanical turk workers.
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The impact of nomadic work spaces on the productivity of amazon mechanical turk workers.
Direction
Hamed Alavi
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
University College London
Source of Funding
?
Status
ongoing
Collecting data from the physical work environments of 370 Mechanical Turk workers, we aim to derive correlations between their routines for space use and productivity in a very specific work process with inherently nomadic (space-independent) attributes.
THE4BEES
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THE4BEES
Direction
Jean-Philippe Bacher
Team
Martin Boesiger, Damien Vionnet, Matthieu Jourdan
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Service de l'Energie Fribourg, Interreg, BFF SA, Lutz Architectes, Climate Services, CS domotique, 13 partners from IT, FR, DE, AU, SL
Source of Funding
Interreg, BFF SA, Lutz Architectes, Climate Services, CS domotique
Research Infrastructures
Halle bleue
Status
ongoing
THE4BEES focuses on the behavioral changes of users in public buildings where there is a requirement to reduce energy consumption. Such changes will be originated by the use of innovative ICT applications developed by a transnational ecosystem. These applications will be used by the target groups in the demonstration sites (schools, houses, and factories) to encourage behavioral changes for energy efficiency and carbon footprint reduction.
Towards 2050
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Towards 2050
Direction
Emmanuel Rey
Team
Arianna Brambilla, Anne-Claude Cosandey, Vanda Costa, Thomas Jusselme, Sophie Luftkin, Emilie Nault, Florinel Radu, Dominic Villeneuve, Didier Vuarnoz
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
SLL Associated Research Group
EPFL LAST
Source of Funding
smart living building research programm
Status
ongoing
The editorial project "Towards 2050" attempts to showcase the ambitious undertaking of the Smart Living Lab in its various development stages, characterized by the exceptional interdisciplinary collaboration based on the building's usage, performance, and life cycle.
Traditional Interlocking Timber Joinery
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Traditional Interlocking Timber Joinery
Direction
Corentin Fivet
Team
Jan Brütting
Resarch Domain
Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL SXL
Academic, public and industrial Partners
ARUP, MIT
Source of Funding
EPFL + ARUP
Status
ongoing
Design and structural assessment of traditional interlocking timber joinery.
Triple E
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Triple E
Direction
Elena-Lavinia Niederhäuser
Team
Jean-Philippe Bacher, Ludovic Favre, Antoine Boss, Frederick Gonon, Thibaut Schafer, Gabriel Magnin
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY
Source of Funding
HEIA-FR
Research Infrastructures
LIRE
Status
ongoing
Triple E: Energy, economic, and environmental optimization of production and of a building's electrical and thermal energy storage and consumption through the integration of user behavior and mobility. The overall goal of this project is to optimize the links between production systems (for renewable energy) and the building's energy consumption (including for mobility by automobile, electric bike, etc.). The use of intelligent control and of an electrical and/or thermal energy storage system should reduce CO2 emissions and reliance on the power grid, while increasing the building's energy efficiency. The three criteria of energy, environment and economics will determine the strategy adopted by the control algorithm.
Visualizing the user in the building data
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Visualizing the user in the building data
Direction
Denis Lalanne
Team
Julien Nembrini, Roberto Sanchez
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
Status
ongoing
Using real building management system data, the aim of this master project is to infer the presence and behavior of users through visual analytics techniques.
Air-Sûr
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Air-Sûr
Direction
Joëlle Goyette
Team
Pascale Voirin, Olivier Vorlet, Pierre Kuonen
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
SLL Associated Research Group
HEIA-FR iSIS, HEIA-FR ICoSys, HEIA-FR Chem Tech
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Crèche Perollino
Source of Funding
HEIA-FR
Status
completed
Air-Sûr - Development and testing of an open-source prototype for monitoring internal air quality in spaces used by children. The aim of the Air-Sûr project is to develop an installation that continuously monitors the health conditions of an indoor environment based on measurements of a set of chemical, physical, and even biological parameters. Whatever the complexity of this set of parameters, the installation needs to satisfy several criteria: flexibility, modularity, scalability, accurate measurement, and cost optimization. It can be mobile and diagnostics based, or it can be fixed and integrated in a given space for the purpose of conducting long-term health monitoring. It could also potentially be used as part of a technical management system for the building. Moreover, it is a scalable system, which will be capable of integrating new sensors in the course of future development in different labs. Our overall goal is to develop an installation that is robust but affordable in terms of material, operating, handling, and maintenance costs.
ArQua Architectural Quality
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ArQua Architectural Quality
Direction
Florinel Radu
Team
Chantal Drayer, François Esquivié
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM, EPFL Building 2050
Source of Funding
smart living building research programm
Status
completed
This project explores the relationship between architectural quality and the building implementation process. It defines the process for implementing the smart living building as a learning process, creating a common culture between the main stakeholders (decision makers, designers, users and builders). This process is outlined by: - an iterative and incremental brief, gradually introducing the criteria of architectural qualities and environmental performance and allowing users to specify their needs; - collaborative conception phases (test studies and preliminary design) between several studios, organized in thematic sequences that allow a continuous evaluation of design proposals.
BBDATA Big Building Data
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BBDATA Big Building Data
Direction
Jean Hennebert
Team
Jean-Philippe Bacher, Damien Vionnet, Matthieu Jourdan, Lucy Linder, Julien Esseiva
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY
SLL Associated Research Group
HEIA-FR iCOSYS
Source of Funding
HEIA-FR
Research Infrastructures
Halle bleue, BBDATA
Status
completed
BBDATA stands for Big Building Data, and is intended to develop a scalable cloud platform and tools for storing and processing smart living lab's building data. The services are targeting data access, processing, and analysis, using open, robust, standardized, and secure big-data technologies
BBDATA DEMO
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BBDATA DEMO
Direction
Jean-Philippe Bacher
Team
Jean Hennebert, Damien Vionnet, Matthieu Jourdan, Thomas Jusselme, Julien Nembrini
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY, EPFL Building 2050, UNIFR Human-IST
SLL Associated Research Group
HEIA-FR iCOSYS
Academic, public and industrial Partners
CS domotique, BFF SA, Lutz Architectes
Source of Funding
SLL demo call
Research Infrastructures
Halle bleue, BBDATA
Status
completed
BB Data Demo aims to demonstrate the functionality and benefit of an Internet-based big-data platform, allowing researchers and building professionals to collect, store, process, and visualize data. This platform is designed to guarantee reliability (robustness and safety), adaptability and scalability. It is particularly suitable for monitoring buildings after commissioning (post-occupancy evaluation - POE).
BIM in Public Construction Law
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BIM in Public Construction Law
Direction
Martin Beyeler
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Institute for Swiss and international construction Law
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
completed
Identification and investigation of legal issues raised through the application of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology in the construction sector, in particular in contractual, procurement, and public construction law.
Bioclimatic strategies
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Bioclimatic strategies
Direction
Thomas Jusselme
Team
Ariana Brambilla
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems, Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL Building 2050
SLL Associated Research Group
EPFL LIPID
Academic, public and industrial Partners
CRAterre laboratory ENSAG, Estia SA
Source of Funding
smart living building research programm, CRAterre, Estia SA
Research Infrastructures
1 to 1 Box
Status
completed
This project focuses on passive systems to increase comfort, experimenting with different thermal inertia, lighting and ventilation scenarios. For instance, it allows for a better evaluation of bioclimatic strategies, such as using rammed earth to increase the building's thermal inertia.
Carbon correlation experiment
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Carbon correlation experiment
Direction
Didier Vuarnoz
Team
Elena-Lavinia Niederhäuser
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL Building 2050, HEIA-FR ENERGY, UNIFR Human-IST
Source of Funding
smart living building research programm
Status
completed
The outcome sought through this experiment is to optimize the correlation between renewable energy availability and the building's energy demand. Because renewable energy is not constant, a methodology is necessary to balance the carbon footprint on an annual basis with hourly time accuracy.
CEISec
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CEISec
Direction
Stephanie Teufel
Team
Bernd Teufel, Mohamad Aldabas, Dominic Feichtner
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR iimt
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
completed
Crowd Energy information security culture - security guidelines for smart environments.
Computer based Design, Construction and Management of Construction Works as a Subject of Design Contracts
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Computer based Design, Construction and Management of Construction Works as a Subject of Design Contracts
Direction
Martin Beyeler
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Institute for Swiss and international construction law
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
completed
Basic research on computerized instruments and results in construction design and supervision contracts.
Construction Adjudication in Switzerland
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Construction Adjudication in Switzerland
Direction
Martin Beyeler
Team
Prof. Dr. Tarkan Göksu (UNIFR)
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Institute for Swiss and international construction law
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
completed
Analysis of the British construction contracts adjudication legislation, case law and practice; basic research on the feasibility of implementation of the adjudication procedure between two parties under existing Swiss law.
CUSO: People, Spaces and Technologies
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CUSO: People, Spaces and Technologies
Direction
Denis Lalanne
Team
Hamed Alavi
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
Source of Funding
?
Status
completed
A seminar organized with internationally recognized lecturers in the field of human interactive experience in built environments.
DevEco
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DevEco
Direction
Florinel Radu
Team
Laurent Houmard, Joëlle Rudaz, Lauriane Bererd, Ilse Bahnsen, Jonathan Parrat, Pierrick Maire, Chantal Dräyer, Layal Bou Antoun, Marcus Zepf
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Academic, public and industrial Partners
HEG Fribourg, Promotion économique Fribourg, Agglo Fribourg, NPR, Direction de l'édilité Fribourg, Service d'architecture et d'urbanisme Fribourg
Source of Funding
HEIA-FR, HEG Fribourg Promotion économique Fribourg, Agglo Fribourg, NPR, Direction de l'édilité Fribourg, Service d'architecture et d'urbanisme Fribourg
Status
completed
The need to formulate proactive land policies to improve Fribourg's economic appeal is undermined by the lack of concrete tools for facilitating this. The "Urban development: key condition for economic development" (DevEco) project aims to overcome this shortcoming by establishing a framework for urban development that will galvanize economic growth in and around Fribourg.
Dispute resolution in construction
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Dispute resolution in construction
Direction
Martin Beyeler
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Institute for Swiss and international construction law
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
completed
Analysis of existing methods to deal with disputes and conflicts in the construction sector.
ECABO tool
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ECABO tool
Direction
Didier Vuarnoz
Team
Denis Lalanne, Raphaël Tuor, Thomas Jusselme, Thierry Dewarrat, Niels Jungbluth
Resarch Domain
Energy systems
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL Building 2050, UNIFR Human-IST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Energie concept SA, ESU-Service Ltd
Source of Funding
SLL demo call
Status
completed
The goal of the project consists of prototyping an interactive software solution targeted towards building designers and building managers that would allow them to rapidly and dynamically assess and visualize GHG emissions during the operation phase of a given building.
ELSA Exploration tooL for Sustainable Architecture
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ELSA Exploration tooL for Sustainable Architecture
Direction
Thomas Jusselme
Team
Pedro Antunes, Endrit Hoxha, Stefano Cozza, Henchoz Nicolas, Renato Zülli, Andreas Koller, Andreas Sonderegger, Jasmine Florentine, Denis Lalanne, Raphaël Tüor, Florian Evequoz, Emmanuel Rey, Marilyne Andersen, Léonard Stalder
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL Building 2050, UNIFR Human-IST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
EPFL ECAL Lab, Tokiwi services
Source of Funding
smart living building research programm
Research Infrastructures
Bâtiment du Smart Living Lab
Status
completed
In order to embrace the carbon and energy parameters from the early stages of a project, the research group has developed a prototype for a life-cycle assessment (LCA) method to highlight technical and architectural solutions for abiding by low-carbon and low-energy constraints.
eREN Energie et rénovation
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eREN Energie et rénovation
Direction
Stefanie Schwab
Team
Stefanie Schwab, Grégory Jaquerod, Jean Luc Rime, Lionel Rinquet, Guillaume Rey, Peter Gallinelli, Reto Camponovo, Stéphane Citherlet, Didier Favre, Blaise Périsset, Gilbert-André Morand, Sébastian Dervey
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems, Interactions and Design Processes, Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Academic, public and industrial Partners
hepia Genève, HEIG-VD, HES-SO Valais Service de l'énergie Fribourg, Office cantonal de l'énergie Genève, Direction de l'énergie VD Fondations Immobilières de Droit Public, Gérances foncières SA, Fondation de placement immobilier Lithos, Retraites populaires
Source of Funding
HES-SO Service de l'énergie Fribourg, Office cantonal de l'énergie Genève, Direction de l'énergie VD
Status
completed
The energy refurbishment of multi-dwelling buildings is a key issue of the Swiss Government's 2050 energy strategy. eREN focuses on building envelopes in western Switzerland, and is proposing a global approach of well-balanced solutions between energy efficiency, constructive feasibility, building physics, costs, and preservation of the architectural heritage.
eREN2 Energie et rénovation 2
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eREN2 Energie et rénovation 2
Direction
Stefanie Schwab
Team
Stefanie Schwab, Lionel Rinquet, Jean Luc Rime, Grégory Jaquerod, Guillaume Rey, Peter Gallinelli, Mylène Devaux, Marielle Hayeck
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems, Interactions and Design Processes, Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM, HEIA-FR iTEC
Academic, public and industrial Partners
hepia Genève, Service de l'énergie Fribourg, Retraites populaires, Fondations Immobilières de Droit Public, Gérances foncières SA, Fondation de placement immobilier Lithos, Retraites populaires
Source of Funding
HES-SO, Service de l'énergie Fribourg
Status
completed
eREN2, in line with the eREN project, analyzes possible synergies between energy-efficient renovation and densification on the basis of a representative selection of existing multi-dwelling buildings in western Switzerland.
From Artifacts to Architecture
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From Artifacts to Architecture
Direction
Hamed Alavi
Team
Denis Lalanne, Himanshu Verma
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Google Mountain View, Northumbria University, TU Delft, Nottingham University
Source of Funding
?
Status
completed
A workshop organized at the DIS (Designing Interactive Systems) conference in Hong Kong with architects, designers, and computer scientists so as to envisage the interactive aspects of future smart buildings and cities.
Future of Human-Building Interaction
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Future of Human-Building Interaction
Direction
Denis Lalanne
Team
Hamed Alavi, Julien Nembrini
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Google Mountain View, US New Castle University
Source of Funding
?
Status
completed
A workshop drawing experts from the fields of architecture, human–computer interaction (HCI), and psychology to discuss the vision of future living.
IER-BAT Intégration des énergies renouvelables dans le bâtiment
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IER-BAT Intégration des énergies renouvelables dans le bâtiment
Direction
Philippe Couty
Team
Philippe Couty, Stefanie Schwab, Elodie Simon
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems, Construction Technologies
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM, HEIA-FR ENERGY
Source of Funding
SLL demo call
Research Infrastructures
LIRE
Status
completed
Study of the integration of active solar components (thermal and photovoltaics) in a portfolio of existing buildings previously studied from an energy efficiency perspective.
Incorporation of SIA terms and conditions in construction contracts
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Incorporation of SIA terms and conditions in construction contracts
Direction
Arnold Rusch
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems, Interactions and Design processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Institute for Swiss and international construction law
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
completed
Research on the premises of a legally effective incorporation of SIA terms and conditions in Swiss construction contracts.
Indalux
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Indalux
Direction
Raphaël Compagnon
Team
Jérôme Kaempf, Christina Chatzipoulka
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Academic, public and industrial Partners
bureau ARUP, URBASOL, CSD ingénieurs
Source of Funding
HEIA-FR, bureau ARUP, URBASOL, CSD ingénieurs
Status
completed
Indicators of daylight and sunlight access in urban areas.
Indoor Localization
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Indoor Localization
Direction
Denis Lalanne
Team
Nico Farber, Himanshu Verma
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
UNIBE, Sinus AG
Source of Funding
?
Status
completed
Master's thesis of Nico Faerber, aimed at increasing the accuracy of indoor localization using Bluetooth Beacon technology.
Legal Aspects of Time Delays in Public Tender Procedures
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Legal Aspects of Time Delays in Public Tender Procedures
Direction
Martin Beyeler
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Institute for Swiss and international construction law
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
completed
Analysis of public procurement and contract law implications of time delays occurring during a public tender procedure. Attempt to propose solutions which are workable in practice while simultaneously respecting legal principles such as non-discrimination and freedom of contract.
Living Lab as a research method in Human-Computer Interaction
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Living Lab as a research method in Human-Computer Interaction
Direction
Hamed Alavi
Team
Denis Lalanne
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
University College London
Source of Funding
?
Status
completed
Living lab studies have been proliferating within the human-computer interaction (HCI) research community, providing a test bed for context-aware automation and new styles of interactivity. In this project, we look at living labs as a developing research methodology situated between controlled experiments and field studies, and we discuss the theoretical groundings particularly for the domain of HCI.
Low carbon housing
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Low carbon housing
Direction
Emmanuel Rey
Team
Sophie Luftkin, Judith Drouilles, Thomas Jusselme, Endrit Hoxha
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL Building 2050
SLL Associated Research Group
EPFL LAST
Source of Funding
SLL demo call
Status
completed
This project aims to generate average reference data on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions for a multi-family apartment building and a detached house in different Swiss urban contexts. The method adopted involves the analysis and comparison of several variants of these two types of residential buildings in order to assess their environmental impacts throughout the life cycle, including the induced mobility.
MODD Méthodes et outils pour le développements durable des quartiers
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MODD Méthodes et outils pour le développements durable des quartiers
Direction
Florinel Radu
Team
Nicole Jan, Chantal Dräyer, Jonathan Parrat, Ilse Bahnsen
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Losinger Marazzi
Source of Funding
InnoSuisse (CTI)
Status
completed
The creation of sustainable neighborhoods often comes up against reduced acceptance of densification by the public. The MODD project seeks to develop a business process as well as tools and methods to design and evaluate such neighborhoods while considering social criteria.
ModSTOCK
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ModSTOCK
Direction
Elena-Lavinia Niederhäuser
Team
Gregory James, Richard Wegmüller, Victor Liblin, Gabriel Magnin
Resarch Domain
Energy Systems, Interactions and Design processes
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY
Academic, public and industrial Partners
ECO-Logements, Energie Concept, Energil, Tecnoservice
Source of Funding
NPR, ECO-Logements, Energie Concept, Energil, Tecnoservice
Status
completed
The main objective of this project is to develop a tool to easily design, model, and optimize thermal storage for SMEs.
PerEn
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PerEn
Direction
Florinel Radu
Team
Jonathan Parrat, Ilse Bahnsen
Resarch Domain
Interactions and design processes
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Implenia, Projeco Environnement, Lutz Architectes, CSD Ingénieurs, Climate Services, E4Tech, Raiffeisen Sarine-Ouest
Source of Funding
NPR, Implenia, Projeco Environnement, Lutz Architectes, CSD Ingénieurs, Climate Services, E4Tech, Raiffeisen Sarine-Ouest
Status
completed
The applied research project PerEn seeks to develop a tool to reduce the observed discrepancy between the calculated energy efficiency of a building during the design phase and the actual energy efficiency measured during its exploitation.
Preventing Productivity Degradation in Offices
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Preventing Productivity Degradation in Offices
Direction
Denis Lalanne
Team
Hamed Alavi
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Logitec
Source of Funding
?
Status
completed
Capitalizing on the advancement in environmental and physiological sensing, this projects aims to predict the working conditions that may harm knowledge workers' productivity and well-being. The findings are communicated in a way that leads to user actions while not disturbing workflow.
PriSE Private households in smart environments
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PriSE Private households in smart environments
Direction
Stephanie Teufel
Team
Jovita Vasauskaite
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR iimt
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
completed
Public Procurement and Public Financial Assets
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Public Procurement and Public Financial Assets
Direction
Martin Beyeler
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Institute for Swiss and international construction law
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
completed
Analysis of the legal status of public procurement conducted in the context of unbound public assets
Public Procurement Case Law 2016/2017
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Public Procurement Case Law 2016/2017
Direction
Martin Beyeler
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Institute for Swiss and international construction law
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
completed
Comprehensive in-depth analysis of all 2016 and 2017 court decisions (Swiss Confederation, Swiss Cantons, European Court of Justice) about public procurement law cases published online; summaries of important court's considerations; editing of comments for legal science and legal practice
Qualitep Qualité d'espace public pour un quartier urbain durable et évolutif
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Qualitep Qualité d'espace public pour un quartier urbain durable et évolutif
Direction
Marcus Zepf
Team
Inès Ramirez
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Academic, public and industrial Partners
BFF SA
Source of Funding
HEIA-FR Atelier Greenfactory FNS ECO-URB
Status
completed
Smart PCM Wall
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Smart PCM Wall
Direction
Jacques Robadey
Team
Elena-Lavinia Niederhäuser, Richard Wegmüller, Gabriel Magnin
Resarch Domain
Energy systems
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR ENERGY
Academic, public and industrial Partners
butikofer de oliveira vernay sàrl, Lehmorange, Altenstadt (DE), Institut de Solartechnik (SPF) Rapperswil, HSLU
Source of Funding
HEIA-FR
Status
completed
Exploring solutions to integrate phase-change materials (PCM) into an active (dynamic) climate control strategy.
Smart Shading Control
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Smart Shading Control
Direction
Jérôme Kaempf
Team
Yujie Wu, Julien Nembrini
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST, HEIA-FR ENERGY
Academic, public and industrial Partners
LESO-PB/EPFL, SCCER FEEB&D
Source of Funding
SLL demo call
Research Infrastructures
LIRE
Status
completed
The goal of the proposed research is to establish a cornerstone of "eye-sight external Venetian blinds" technology and to develop a test and demonstration platform at the smart living lab to measure the accuracy and evaluate the performance of a set of innovative external Venetian blinds with their automation system based on real-time sky monitoring and computing from the perspective of daylight regulation and glare protection. The Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory (LESO-PB) in EPFL has developed a new automated external Venetian blinds control system with a sensing device targeted at the sky, which can dynamically change the shading positions according to the conditions of the sky. This advanced control system is predicted to regulate the daylight more precisely by employing a high-precision motor, thus enhancing users' visual comfort by reducing glare. This project aims to set a benchmark by testing this eye-sight external Venetian blinds prototype in the complex setting of the smart living lab. Ultimately, this project will demonstrate its benefits, reliability and precision in daylight regulation and glare protection.
Social design
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Social design
Direction
Thomas Jusselme
Team
Derek Christie, Thierry Maeder, Dominic Villeneuve, Vincent Kaufmann
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL Building 2050
SLL Associated Research Group
EPFL LaSUR
Source of Funding
smart living building research programm
Research Infrastructures
Bâtiment du smart living lab
Status
completed
The objective of this project is to implement a double approach of social design for the implementation of the future building in Fribourg: • a top-down approach with members of the smart living lab's Management Committee • a bottom-up approach with employees from the three institutions involved in the smart living lab (EPFL, HEIA-FR, UNIFR) • a synthesis of these two approaches to define a coherent social project bridging user expectations and the political vision.
Space-use behaviour in Smart Living Lab
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Space-use behaviour in Smart Living Lab
Direction
Hamed Alavi, Himashu Verma, Denis Lalanne
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors, Interactions and Design processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
SLL Associated Research Group
EPFL Building 2050, LASUR EPFL
Status
completed
Using Bluetooth wearables we recorded the movement of building occupants over 8 weeks and analyzed the correlation between space-use routines and professional profile of the occupants.
Spatial Sustainability in Shared Office Spaces
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Spatial Sustainability in Shared Office Spaces
Direction
Hamed Alavi, Himashu Verma, Denis Lalanne
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors, Interactions and Design processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
SLL Associated Research Group
EPFL Building 2050
Status
completed
The project has sought to examine how the study of space perception and its impact on space-use behavior can inform sustainable architecture, specifically in the context of shared office spaces.
Specific Environmentally-conscious Targets for Urban Planning (SETUP)
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Specific Environmentally-conscious Targets for Urban Planning (SETUP)
Direction
Thomas Jusselme
Team
Emilie Nault
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
EPFL Building 2050
Academic, public and industrial Partners
BFFSA, Climate Services, Implenia, Urbaplan, CSD
Source of Funding
NPR - Fribourg, SIG Genève
Status
completed
This project aims at developing a prototype tool to support decision-making during the urban planning and design process, by providing the means to decompose a site-level performance objective into context-specific sublevel (e.g., building-scale) targets, and anticipate the environmental impact of decisions to be made later on in the project's development process.
SVEN Smart Value Energy Networks
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SVEN Smart Value Energy Networks
Direction
Stephanie Teufel
Team
Mario Gstrein
Resarch Domain
Energy systems
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR iimt
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
completed
Tiny House Movement
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Tiny House Movement
Direction
Arnold Rusch
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Institute for Swiss and international construction law
Source of Funding
UNIFR
Status
completed
Reduction of the ecological footprint: Legal challenges of tiny houses and the mobility of single-person households.
Transaction on Computer-Human Interaction
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Transaction on Computer-Human Interaction
Direction
Hamed Alavi
Team
Denis Lalanne
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST
Source of Funding
Google, Mountain View UCL,Bartlette School of Architecture UCL, Computer Science Aarhus University Umea University
Status
completed
Special issue on Human-Building Interaction in the most prestigious journal of human-computer interaction. The papers will be published by the beginning of 2019.
TransHabNat
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TransHabNat
Direction
Florinel Radu
Team
Jonathan Parrat, Nicole Jan, Chantal Dräyer, Laurianne Bererd
Resarch Domain
Interactions and Design Processes
SLL Core Research Group
HEIA-FR TRANSFORM
Source of Funding
HES-SO
Status
completed
This project has shown that urban biodiversity goes hand in hand with the diversity of human habitats. It has led to the development of an innovative tool to aid the design of projects that combine densification in peripheral urban zones with improvements in biodiversity. The tool contains a typology of forms of human-nature cohabitation, as well as a presentation of the interdisciplinary design process.
User environment experiment
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User environment experiment
Direction
Thomas Jusselme
Team
Endrit Hoxha, Cédric Liardet, Hamed Alavi, Himanshu Verma, Jakub Mlynar, Denis Lalanne, Derek Christie, Dominic Villeneuve, Thierry Maeder, Luca Pattaroni, Emmanuel Ravalet, Sébastien Munafò, Virginie Baranger, Marc-Antoine Messer, Vincent Kaufmann, Raphaël Dutoi, Patrick Reymond
Resarch Domain
Well-being and Behaviors
SLL Core Research Group
UNIFR Human-IST, EPFL Building 2050
SLL Associated Research Group
EPFL LaSUR
Academic, public and industrial Partners
Atelier Oï
Source of Funding
smart living building research programm
Research Infrastructures
Halle bleue, Bâtiment du smart living lab
Status
completed
Project goals: - Definition of a strategy for the user environment based on user behavior as well as on the identification of indoor components/furniture according to their performance and impact on user comfort. - Prototyping and experimental campaign research in the Blue Hall on user feedback. - Designing and conducting a user study to understand occupants' mobility and space usage behavior. - Defining policies for the re-design of office spaces within the Blue Hall based on the human-centered design paradigm.
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Flagship projects

NeighborHub – the Swiss solar house opens its doors to the public in Fribourg

Winner of the Solar Decathlon international competition in Denver (USA) in 2017, the NeighborHub was built at the Smart Living Lab, on the blueFACTORY site in Fribourg. The Swiss solar house was designed by students and teaching staff from four higher education institutions (EPFL, HEIA-FR, HEAD, and UNIFR). The solar house offers a new collective and environmental way of living, and is intended to be a meeting place for citizens wishing to develop solutions to facilitate a more sustainable future. A genuine research prototype, the NeighborHub allows the Smart Living Lab to conduct experiments related to energy management, comfort, and user interaction.

The NeighborHub was officially opened on April 12, 2018, in the presence of the President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard, and politicians from the Canton of Fribourg.

Almost 1,500 visitors attended the public event on April 28 and 29 to learn about various aspects of the building in detail, including construction and logistics, architecture, engineering, and water management. Since September 2018, Martin Schick, the blueFACTORY’s cultural manager, has been using the solar house as his playground, holding a variety of workshops organized around the themes of information, exchange, research, and demonstration.

More info on : NeighborHub

Smart Living Lab Building – launch of a Collaborative Parallel Studies Mandate (MEP)

On June 19, 2018, the Grand Council of Fribourg made an appropriation vote of 25 million Swiss francs for the construction of the Smart Living Lab Building. In 2020, this experimental building will be completed on the blueFACTORY site. A pioneer in the efficient use of available resources, this ambitious project is 30 years ahead of its time in implementing the Swiss 2050 environmental energy objectives, in accordance with the concept developed by the 2000-Watt Society. On September 14, 2018, the Smart Living Lab and Bluefactory Fribourg-Freiburg SA launched an open call for applications for the design of the new building through a tender document known as a Collaborative Parallel Studies Mandate (MEP). In total, 23 project submissions were received from five different countries, and four interdisciplinary groups were selected to participate in the MEP:

  • Baumschlager Eberle Architekten AG, Dr. Lüchinger + Meyer Bauingenieure AG, Lauber IWISA AG, B+S AG
  • Behnisch Architekten, Drees & Sommer Schweiz AG, ZPF Ingenieure AG
  • estudioHerreros SLP, Dr. Schwartz Consulting AG, Transplan Technik-Bauplanung Gmbh, Transsolar Energietechnik Gmbh, xmade Gmbh
  • Itten + Brechbühl SA, CSD Ingénieurs

On December 14, 2018, an initial information session brought together a panel of experts to evaluate the future projects and the selected applications. They showed great receptivity in this innovative process, which consisted of several open dialogues in the presence of all participants up until June 2019, with the aim of more effectively integrating the results of the three years of prior research carried out around the building. The winner and the preliminary draft will be announced at the beginning of July, 2019.

More info on : Smart Living Lab Building

Organization

A joint Steering Committee handles the strategic management of the Smart Living Lab on behalf of all partner institutions, and an Operational Committee is in charge of implementation. The Scientific Commission brings together the academic staff of all the Smart Living Lab’s research groups, and is chaired by an EPFL professor. In December 2018, it was decided that the Operational Committee would become the Executive Committee, co-chaired by the Academic Director and the Operational Director of the Smart Living Lab, as of January 2019.

More info on : Organization (as of 2019)

Promotional activities

Media coverage in 2018

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
September
October

Finances

Smart Living Lab’s consolidated financial report

EXPENSES (kCHF)
2014-2016 2017 2018
BUILD (collaborative parallel studies mandate for building construction) (750)
750
0
Operational expenses (1751)
667
267
817
-1
Projet DEMO (Solar Decathlon) (900)
800
100
0
Joint projects (666)
183
483
1
Smart Living Building's research (3659)
2215
657
787
1
EPFL chairs (8500)
1667
2330
4503
2833
UNIFR (2769)
1042
785
942
291
HEIA-FR (3404)
1174
929
1301
652
TOTAL (21180)
6765
5952
8463
4996
PDF

Partners

Comprised of over 300 labs and research groups on its campus, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) is among the most productive and innovative research institutions worldwide. Ranked in the top three at European level and in the top 20 globally according to several scientific ranking lists, EPFL has drawn some of the best researchers in their fields. EPFL has a unique organizational structure designed to stimulate transdisciplinary research and to encourage partnerships with other institutions.

Located in the heart of a bilingual region, culturally rich and ideally situated, the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg (HEIA‐FR) trains future engineers and architects holding a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from Swiss universities of applied sciences. This state-of-the-art school offers university-level training based on professional practice. Recognized by the public and local businesses for its many applied research activities, the school contributes to innovation activity and allows the Canton of Fribourg to project itself on both a technological and scientific level.

Founded in 1889, the University of Fribourg (UNIFR), is the only bilingual university in Switzerland and has a strong international tradition. It operates as a cutting-edge scientific and teaching centre, with a strong human-centred approach that covers a wide range of disciplines in five different faculties. Nearly 10,000 Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students benefit from its excellent infrastructure and its many educational opportunities.

It is worth mentioning that the Smart Living Lab project is the first of its kind in Switzerland. It brings together knowledge from several institutions in a single location at the heart of a city. The research facility offers a unique infrastructure for the rapid transfer of key expertise to the construction industry. For the Canton of Fribourg, whose construction industry is a major pillar, the presence of a centre of national and international outreach reinforces its economic fabric by offering many new competitive advantages.