Structural Xploration Lab

Uniting architecture and structural design, we are paving the way for the upcycling reuse of load-bearing components in buildings, hence contributing to the adoption of a circular economy by the construction industry. We also devise new computational means to enhance designer-machine collaborations at the early stages of the architectural/structural design process. Our research and education activities are driven by sustainability challenges, rooted in history, embracing complexity, and boosted by digital technology.

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Launched in July 2016, the Structural Xploration Lab is led by Corentin Fivet, associate professor of Architecture and Structural Design at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). The lab is attached to the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), is part of the Institute of Architecture (IA) and has connections with the Civil Engineering Institute (IIC). The lab is active in the teaching of structures and construction systems to architects (SAR).

The Structural Xploration Lab is also an integral member of the Smart Living Lab, a joint facility between EPFL, UniFr, and HEIA-FR, in Fribourg, Switzerland. The Smart Living Lab engages effective multi-disciplinary research on user-centered building technology through close collaboration between universities, private firms and public administrations.

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© 2024 EPFL

M. Bastien-Masse at Sustainable Economy Forum

— 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.

© 2024 EPFL

C. Fivet gives keynote at Challenging Glass Conference 9

— 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.

© 2024 EPFL

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

— 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.

© 2024 EPFL

B. Lambec moderates for Matilda Matériauthèque

— 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.

© 2024 EPFL

C. Küpfer speaks at iStructE Climate Emergency Conference 2024

— 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.

© 2024 EPFL

C. Fivet gives a lecture at Fondation Braillard

— 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).

Barbara Lambec is an architect and a heritage specialist. © 2024 EPFL / Alain Herzog

Making yesterday's commonplace today's innovation

— 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.

© 2024 EPFL

M. Grangeot wins award at Rob|Arch 2024

— On May 25th, Maxence Grangeot, PhD candidate at the Structural Xploration Lab and the Lab for Creative Computation, EPFL, presented his latest research at the Rob|Arch 2024 conference organized in Toronto, Canada. As the result of a competitive process and a wonderful talk, he won a "New Frontiers Runner-Up" award for his contribution on the robotic fabrication of walls with reclaimed concrete debris. The presented paper, "Rising from rubble – Leveraging existing construction tools for upcycling concrete waste into slender walls", is co-authored with Qianqing Wang (EESD), Katrin Beyer (EESD), Corentin Fivet (SXL) and Stefana Parascho (CRCL).

© 2024 EPFL

C. Küpfer invited for lecture at "Stories of Reuse" exhibition

— On May 24th, 2024, Célia Küpfer, PhD candidate at the Structural Xploration Lab, EPFL, was invited to give a closing lecture for the "Stories of Reuse" exhibition organized by the Rethink Materials Kollektiv in Zürich, CH. The fully-packed room discovered her latest work on the reuse of concrete components in architecture. She shared the stand with Prof. Hani Buri (HEIA-FR).

© 2024 EPFL

C. Fivet lectures at CAS ETH on Regenerative Materials

— On May 13th, Prof. Corentin Fivet (Structural Xploration Lab, EPFL) provided a 3-hour lesson on component reuse for building structures to the participants of the Certificiate of Advanced Studies on Regenerative Materials, at the ETH Zürich.

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