Structural Xploration Lab

Journal paper on the environmental footprint of large building stocks

Published:08.07.24 — The Cleaner Environmental Systems journal publishes our paper on the "Multiscale Spatiotemporal Characterization of Embodied Environmental Performance of Building Structures in Geneva from 1850 to 2018". Authored by Corentin Fivet (SXL, EPFL), Catherine De Wolf (ETHZ), Thibaut Menny (ETHZ), Séréna Vanbutsele (HEIA-FR) and André Stéphan (U. of Melbourne), the paper applies new methods to better characterize the evolution of the embodied emissions related to the construction of large building stocks.

Concrete reuse history presented at 8ICCH, Zürich

Published:08.07.24 — Célia Küpfer, PhD candidate at the Structural Xploration Lab, EPFL, presented new results related to the history of concrete component reuse in architecture in Europe, at the occasion of the 8th International Congress on Construction History, held in Zürich, June 24-28 2024. The paper "Structural component reuse of precast and cast-in-place reinforced concrete in architecture since the late 1960s in Europe" was part of a thematic session on "the history of deconstruction, salvage and reuse in a larger perspective".

RebuiLT pavilion & study on North-American reuse presented at WSBE24

Published:08.07.24 — The Structural Xploration Lab presented two papers at this year World Sustainable Built Environment conference, which happened virtually from June 12 to 14, 2024. The first paper "From soon-to-be demolished mushroom column slabs to reused reinforced concrete saw-cut assemblies: the case of the rebuiLT pavilion" presented the rebuiLT pavilion and was authored by Célia Küpfer (SXL, EPFL), Malena Bastien-Masse (SXL, EPFL), Maxence Grangeot (SXL/CRCL, EPFL), Christian Meier (rebuiLT, EPFL), Lancelot Graulich (rebuiLT, EPFL), Julien Pathé (SCOP2401) and Corentin Fivet (SXL, EPFL). The second paper "Learning from North Americans: barriers and levers to reuse from practitioners' experiences" analysed interviews that Barbara Lambec (SXL, EPFL) made during a recent study trip in the USA and Canada. The paper is authored by Barbara Lambec, Maléna Bastien-Masse and Corentin Fivet.

M. Bastien-Masse at Sustainable Economy Forum

Published:24.06.24 — On Thursday June 20th, Dr. Maléna Bastien-Masse (Structural Xploration Lab, EPFL) was invited for a talk on circular design at the "Sustainable Economy Forum" event jointly organized by the E4S center and UBS Lausanne. The talk triggered a fascinating discussion among the attendees.

C. Fivet gives keynote at Challenging Glass Conference 9

Published:20.06.24 — This Thursday June 20th, 2024, Prof. Corentin Fivet (Structural Xploration Lab), gives the closing keynote lecture at the Challenging Glass Conference 9, organized at TU Delft, The Netherlands. He will address the new design paradigms, opportunities and pitfalls related to the reuse of building components.

C. Küpfer invited at 'Artisans de la Transition' conference

Published:12.06.24 — On June 12th, 2024, Célia Küpfer (PhD candidate at the SXL, EPFL) takes the stage at the latest evening event organized by the 'Artisans de la Transition', focusing on Carbon budget and strategies for the construction sector in Switzerland. She is speaking alongside Susana Jourdan (la revue durable), Thomas Jusselme (HEIA-FR, Vizcab), Stéphane Fuchs (Atba Architecture), and Gnanli Landrou/Thibault Demoulin (Oxara). Her talk is about component reuse in the construction industry with a focus on the reuse of reinforced concrete elements for new building structures.

B. Lambec moderates for Matilda Matériauthèque

Published:12.06.24 — On June 7th, 2024, Barbara Lambec (PhD candidate at SXL, EPFL), moderated a discussion on Resources and Reuse between Laurent Audergon (SZS Swiss Center for Steel Construction), François Girod (BétonSuisse), and Lucie Mérigeaux (Lignum). The event was organized by Matilda Matériauthèque and open to a large public, in Lausanne.

C. Küpfer speaks at iStructE Climate Emergency Conference 2024

Published:12.06.24 — On Wednesday evening, June 12th, 2024, Célia Küpfer (PhD candidate at the SXL, EPFL) gives an invited talk at the Climate Emergency Conference 2024 organized by the UK-based Institution of Structural Engineers. She is the first of six speakers of the third and last session, on "Advancements and initiatives in sustainability resources". More than 500 participants registered to the online conference.

C. Fivet gives a lecture at Fondation Braillard

Published:12.06.24 — On Friday June 3rd, Corentin Fivet (Prof. at the Structural Xploration Lab, EPFL) was invited by the Fondation Braillard to give a lecture for the participants of the 2024 Transition Workshop. His two-hour lecture was followed by talks by Duncan Baker-Brown (Brighton University), Sarah Barth (Atelier für Architektologie) and René Longet (politician and expert in sustainable development).

Making yesterday's commonplace today's innovation

Published:04.06.24 — How can we renormalize reuse? That’s the question posed by Barbara Lambec, an architect, heritage specialist, and researcher at EPFL’s Structural Xploration Lab (SXL), in this column published in three daily newspapers in French-speaking Switzerland.