Thanks to thermal heat exchange with the nearby Lake Geneva and a thermal plant using the latest technology, heating and cooling of the whole EPFL campus is provided entirely without fossil fuels. A data center installed above the plant is cooled by the cold water discharges from the power plant and will in turn provide heat from the servers. The building is fully cladded with photovoltaic façade elements.

Geothermal systems and CO2 sequestration in deep geological formations are the focus of this visit to the EPFL Laboratory of Soil Mechanics LMS. Research at LMS investigates energy geostructures that can serve as structural supports as well as heating and cooling elements for building and infrastructures. Furthermore, it explores the potential of CO2 capture and storage in depleted oil or gas reservoirs, saline formations and coal seams based on structural, stratigraphic and chemical trapping mechanisms.

The EPFL Laboratory of Integrated Performance in Design LIPID conducts research on visual comfort under daylight conditions, considering health, comfort, perception and energy. A visit of the test facility “Demona” will show insights of the experiments conducted for different glazing and shading including electrochromic glazing and fabrics.

To ensure a sustainable, economic and secure electricity supply, the EPFL Distributed Electrical Systems Laboratory develops advanced smart grid solutions. The main topics of this visit refer to smart grids monitoring and operation technologies. Prof. Paolone’s team will present a time-deterministic monitoring system of the EPFL campus used to control in real-time a utility-scale battery energy storage system to achieve multiple control functions.

The Lab for Creative Computation (CRCL) operates at the interface of design, digital technologies and construction. This visit will explore new construction modes that combine robotics with human interventions and digital media, in pursuit of more creative solutions to contemporary design and construction challenges. A particular focus will be given to sustainable construction approaches. The lab will be presented by Professor Stefana Parascho.

A second life is given to building elements in the rebuiLT pavilion that is the object of a circularity themed visit near the EPFL campus. This student-led project supervised by Prof. Corentin Fivet and Maxence Grangeot of the Structural Xploration Lab applies the principles of zero waste by reusing the concrete structure and other components from a building in deconstruction close to the EPFL campus. Innovative construction methods and low-tech solutions are explored with a view to defining a new low-carbon approach to construction.