ENAC news about research

How long will the dream of the seaside holiday villa last?

Published:13.05.25 — Michela Bonomo examines in this column the ideology of the luxury seaside villa and shows its limits. Her column was published in three daily newspapers in French-speaking Switzerland. 

Tire additives found deposited on fruits and vegetables

Published:06.05.25 — A study by EPFL and the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) has found that tire additives enter into and pass through the food chain. Further research is needed to establish the implications for human health.

Biological particles may be crucial for inducing heavy rain

Published:05.05.25 — EPFL atmospheric and climate scientists show that biological particles may induce rain events that could contribute to flooding and snowstorms, owing to their ability to precipitate ice formation in clouds. They call for an update of meteorological and climate models.

Chemicals from climbing shoes cause trouble in indoor halls

Published:29.04.25 — A study led by researchers from EPFL and the University of Vienna shows that concentrations of concerning chemicals as high as those by a busy road can be found in the air of bouldering gyms.

Augmented reality improves carpentry ease and precision

Published:11.04.25 — A system developed at EPFL uses augmented reality (AR) to help carpenters make extremely precise timber cuts without having to measure or mark up beams. Its hybrid approach stands to make digitally assisted technology affordable for small businesses, woodworkers and construction professionals in developing countries.

Glacier melt puts unique microbial ecosystems under threat

Published:21.03.25 — A pioneering study has revealed how climate change is impacting glacier-fed streams and the essential microbiomes they contain – which could change radically by the end of this century.

Exploring the use of environmental strains for biocement production

Published:19.02.25 — A recent study examines the effectiveness of environmental strains for the production of biocement. The study’s lead author, Dimitrios Terzis, is an EPFL senior scientist and a co-founder of Medusoil, a company that produces organic binders and that opened a production plant in Vaud in 2024.

New study improves the trustworthiness of wind power forecasts

Published:29.01.25 — By applying techniques from explainable artificial intelligence, engineers can improve users’ confidence in forecasts generated by artificial intelligence models. This approach was recently tested on wind power generation by a team that includes experts from EPFL.

Harnessing proteins to clean contaminated soil

Published:21.01.25 — Scientists from EPFL work on sustainable approaches to soil remediation, like the use of naturally occurring microorganisms that can “eat” pollutants found in soil and the water table.

How cryogenic microscopy could help strengthen food security

Published:15.01.25 — A joint EPFL and University of Lausanne research team reports on a novel observation of a plant protection mechanism in response to salt stress. The study opens new avenues of research to strengthen food security.

Scientists discover a unique microbiome on our planet's roof

Published:08.01.25 — Two EPFL-led studies published in 'Nature' and 'Nature Microbiology' shed light on the uniqueness, complexity and climate-related vulnerability of the world’s glacier-fed-stream microbiome.

In Antarctica to better understand the evolution of the ice cap

Published:02.12.24 — A team of scientists from EPFL, CNRS, CEA and École polytechnique de Paris will be in Antarctica from December 2024 to mid-January 2025. As part of the AWACA project, they are installing innovative observation systems designed to predict the evolution of the ice cap over the next 100 years. Associate Professor Alexis Berne, Director of the Environmental Remote Sensing Laboratory at EPFL, is on site.

Scientists quantify aerosols based on sea state

Published:27.11.24 — A research team led by EPFL scientists has developed a system that provides key insight into the relationship between sea spray aerosols, sea state and atmospheric conditions. The system was mounted on an icebreaker and carried across vast regions of the Arctic to collect and analyze valuable data.

Closing of CLIMACT center

Published:21.11.24 — The CLIMACT center will cease operations on December 31, 2024, after three years of existence.

Towards comfortable, interactive and zero-carbon buildings

Published:22.10.24 — In the future, buildings will provide enhanced, more personalized comfort to occupants while also achieving zero carbon emissions. This will be possible thanks to advances in sensors and AI, enabling new ways of interacting with our environments while leaving ultimate control in occupants’ hands. Yet, as users, we’ll also need to make lasting changes to our habits.

Catastrophically warm predictions are more plausible than we thought

Published:11.10.24 — EPFL researchers developed a rating system to evaluate the plausibility of climate model simulations in the IPCC’s latest report, and show that models that lead to potentially catastrophic warming are to be taken seriously.

How personal care products affect indoor air quality

Published:10.10.24 — An EPFL study has revealed the impact of five common personal care products when they’re used in enclosed spaces. Surprisingly, when they come into contact with ozone, the products spark chemical reactions generating new air pollutants.

Scientists explore the complexity of rocks within the Earth's crust

Published:08.10.24 — A team of EPFL scientists has provided insight into the mechanisms at work in geothermal reservoirs located deep underground, known as supercritical reservoirs. Through a combination of computer simulations and lab experiments, they showed that rocks located between five and eight kilometers deep in the Earth’s crust are also permeable to fluids. 

New approach can reduce traffic congestion at no extra cost

Published:04.10.24 — Engineers at EPFL and ETH Zurich have come up with a new approach for reducing traffic congestion in large cities during rush hour. Their system is designed to be both fair and effective. 

AI helps detect and monitor infrastructure defects

Published:25.09.24 — Thanks to recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), civil engineers can inspect large-scale infrastructure more efficiently and cost-effectively, while also monitoring the progression of damage severity over time. A team of EPFL researchers has demonstrated the feasibility of an AI-driven method for crack detection, growth and monitoring, and will soon test it on the railway section between Zermatt and Brig in Valais Canton.

How long will the dream of the seaside holiday villa last?

Published:13.05.25 — Michela Bonomo examines in this column the ideology of the luxury seaside villa and shows its limits. Her column was published in three daily newspapers in French-speaking Switzerland. 

So you've left student accommodation. What next?

Published:17.12.24 — For her PhD thesis in architecture, Fiona del Puppo looked at the challenges young people face finding somewhere to live after leaving university. She outlines her observations in a column published in the Swiss French-language press.

An interpretative framework for the urban banks of the Rhône

Published:12.11.24 — How can the banks of the Rhône be developed in a sustainable and resilient way? That’s the question posed by Sara Formery, architect and postdoctoral researcher at EPFL’s Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST), in this column published in four daily newspapers in French-speaking Switzerland.

Is green concrete a myth?

Published:29.10.24 — EPFL PhD student Maxence Grangeot questions current practices aimed at reducing concrete's carbon footprint in this column published in three daily newspapers in French-speaking Switzerland.

To densify or not to densify? That is the question

Published:20.08.24 — As researchers learn more about the costs and benefits of urban densification, city planners will be able to make better-informed measures, says Gabriele Manoli, a tenure-track assistant professor at EPFL, in this column published in three daily newspapers in French-speaking Switzerland.

Making yesterday's commonplace today's innovation

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

Reimagining dwelling

Published:30.04.24 — It's possible to live in less conventional places, such as greenhouses, says Tiago P. Borges, architect and PhD student at EPFL’s Laboratory of Elementary Architecture and Studies of Types (EAST) in this column published in three local dailies.

“Modern” does not mean “monster”

Published:23.04.24 — Modern architectural buildings represent a rich repository of grey energy to be conserved, even if they are not always attractive, explains Giuseppe Galbiati, engineer-architect and former PhD student at EPFL’s Laboratory of Techniques and Preservation of Modern Architecture (TSAM), in this column.

What does the future hold for filling stations?

Published:18.03.24 — Filling stations will have to find a new purpose in a post-fossil-fuel world. That's what Anja Fröhlich, architect and associate professor, and Lara Monti, teaching assistant at EPFL's Laboratory of Elementary Architecture and Studies of Types, are talking about in this column.

Tapping into “urban intelligence”

Published:09.01.24 — In this article appearing in Switzerland’s French-speaking press, Lucía Jalón Oyarzun, head of research at the Design Studio on the Conception of Space (ALICE) and Emmanuelle Agustoni, architect and scientist, explain how they built a picture of the living heritage of Vernier, a town on the western outskirts of Geneva

Energy is (not) sexy

Published:07.11.23 — In this article appearing in three local newspapers, Glòria Serra Coch, architect and PhD student at EPFL’s Human Environment Relations in Urban Systems (HERUS), wonders how to make the energy turn around more attractive.

How can we use steel efficiently for sustainable design?

Published:01.11.23 — In this column, published in three regional dailies, Dimitrios Lignos, who heads EPFL’s Resilient Steel Structures Laboratory (RESSLab), explains how his laboratory's research is contributing to a more thoughtful use of steel in construction.

Toward post-carbon neighborhoods?

Published:22.08.23 — In this column, published in three local dailies, Emmanuel Rey, Associate professor of Architecture and Sustainable Construction Technologies and head of the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST), explains what lies behind the concept of "post-carbon neighborhoods".

Why flexible working has the power to change our cities

Published:06.06.23 — In this column, published in three local dailies, Andrew Sonta, engineer and Tenure track assistant professor at the Smart Living Lab explains how evolving patterns of behavior have called into question the value of the physical office space and add an additional layer of complexity to optimal building design and operation.

What can the Avanchet-Parc housing complex teach us today?

Published:09.05.23 — In this column, published in three regional dailies, researcher and architect Giulia Marino discusses how the Avanchet-Parc housing complex near Geneva can inspire future ecodistricts

Temporary structures can help find lasting solutions

Published:25.04.23 — In this column, published in three local dailies, Camille Fauvel explains how temporary structures can help us observe how people use public spaces. Fauvel, a lecturer in architecture at ENAC, cites a project carried out by EPFL students on Lake Geneva.

Will urban sprawl in Switzerland ever end?

Published:23.03.23 — Public policies aimed at curbing urban sprawl have limited effects, says Mathias Lerch in this column. The ENAC researcher cites a study conducted by his laboratory on peri-urbanization in Switzerland since the 1960s.

Industrial heritage: a driver of the socioecological transition

Published:27.12.22 — In this article appearing in Switzerland’s French-speaking press, Anna Karla de Almeida Santos, a PhD candidate at the Laboratory of Urbanism (Lab-U), explains that the transformation of sites with an industrial past represents an opportunity to test research avenues and materialize the socio-ecological transition.

Tapping into the energy stored beneath our cities

Published:22.11.22 — In this article appearing in Switzerland’s French-speaking press, Margaux Peltier, the CEO of Enerdrape and a research assistant at EPFL’s Laboratory of Soil Mechanics, explains how recent technology developed at EPFL can help bring geothermal energy into existing buildings.

Made in the shade

Published:03.11.22 — In this article appearing in Switzerland’s French-speaking press, Jérôme Chenal, the head of EPFL’s Urban and Regional Planning Community (CEAT), gives suggestions for how city planners can adapt their cities to make them more resilient to climate change.

Glacier melt puts unique microbial ecosystems under threat

Published:21.03.25 — A pioneering study has revealed how climate change is impacting glacier-fed streams and the essential microbiomes they contain – which could change radically by the end of this century.

Forum des transitions urbaines 2025

Published:17.10.24 — Entitled "Towards bioclimatic cities ?", the Forum des transitions urbaines will be held on September 5, 2025 in the Auditorium of Microcity, an EPFL branch in Neuchâtel (Switzerland). Organized jointly by the Ecoparc Association and the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) of the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in partnership with the journal Tracés, the biennial event will approach this crucial theme for our built environment from different angles.

ENAC Fribourg Grants: apply now!

Published:31.10.23 — We have the pleasure to launch an internal call: “ENAC Fribourg Grants”, offering a new opportunity to boost interdisciplinary research and innovative approaches for a sustainable development of the built environment. The call is open to all EPFL laboratories.

Forum des transitions urbaines 2023

Published:19.04.23 — Entitled "Towards Post-Carbon Neighborhoods", the Forum des transitions urbaines will be held on September 8, 2023 in the Auditorium of Microcity, a branch of the EPFL in Neuchâtel (Switzerland). Organized jointly by the Ecoparc Association and the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) of the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in partnership with the journal Tracés, the biennial event will approach this crucial theme for our built environment from different angles.

Three "ENAC Flagship projects" granted

Published:24.02.23 — We're happy to announce the 3 successful ENAC Flagship projects, involving 7 ENAC Professors coming from different research disciplines. The Flagships will receive between 400 and 500 kCHF each and will be running until spring 2026!