ENAC news about research

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.

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.

Housing could improve our well-being and reach net-zero by 2040

Published:13.09.24 — EPFL scientist Sascha Nick has outlined a completely new scenario for what housing and neighborhoods might look like in Switzerland in the coming decades. His recommendations would put the country on track to meet its net-zero target while supporting the well-being of residents and communities. 

From clouds to fjords, the Arctic bears witness to climate change

Published:22.08.24 — Climate change is particularly intense in the Arctic. To assess its consequences and determine what role this region plays in global warming, two teams of scientists from EPFL have visited the area. One to gain a better understanding of the region's air composition, the other to quantify the greenhouse gases sequestered in Greenland fjords sourced by glacial water.

Scientists unlock the secrets to an Alpine flower's survival

Published:08.08.24 — A team of scientists from EPFL and other research institutes have identified just how an Alpine flower is surviving by adapting its genes to local habitats. This discovery has important implications for the protection of ecosystems under threat.

New research shows how trees cope with extreme heat

Published:07.08.24 — Extreme heatwaves are on the rise. When do they become critical for forest trees? In the hot summer of 2023, a research team led by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) investigated this in Switzerland, southern France and Spain.

Opening a window on environmental phenomena

Published:23.07.24 — Data collected by satellites, drones, radars and microscopes provide a goldmine of information to better understand our environment. And when these data are coupled with artificial intelligence (AI), they can unlock the secrets of phenomena taking place at all levels. 

Researchers discover novel deepwater renewal process in Lake Geneva

Published:15.07.24 — EPFL researchers discovered that deepwater renewal in Lake Geneva in wintertime is not only due to vertical mixing. Instead, strong currents coming from the lake’s Petit Lac basin and nearshore zones of the Grand Lac play a vital role.

Learning lessons from medium-sized Swiss cities

Published:03.07.24 — "La Suisse de A(rbon) à Z(oug): Portrait en 12 villes", a new book published by EPFL Press, eschews the traditional focus on major conurbations. Each chapter is penned by a researcher working in the humanities and social sciences, who provides insights into the city they know best through a dual lens: as both an expert and a resident.

"matières" magazine tackles the end of architecture

Published:28.06.24 — The new issue of "matières" brings together essays in which an 'end' to architecture – historical or current – is analysed and interpreted. A publication directed by Christophe Van Gerrewey, assistant tenure track professor.

Scientists reveal why some people with the flu may be more contagious

Published:26.06.24 — EPFL scientists have discovered that in indoor spaces, droplets containing the flu virus will remain infectious for longer when they also contain certain types of bacteria found in our respiratory tract. This finding provides important insight into how respiratory infections are transmitted and can enhance estimates of exposure risk.

A study of art and architecture revisits Swiss colonial history

Published:11.06.24 — In her PhD thesis, carried out jointly at EPFL's Arts of Science Laboratory and the HEAD-Genève school of art in Geneva, Denise Bertschi examines Switzerland’s role in establishing a slavery-based colony in Brazil. Bertschi, who is also an artist, will display her work at both the Swiss National Museum and the Neuchâtel Art Center in September.

Thale cress: The unassuming weed that's lighting up science

Published:05.06.24 — It’s a well-established fact that, in the plant world, competition for sunlight is intense. Smaller plants grow taller and spread their leaves to escape the shade cast by their loftier counterparts. But while we’ve long understood the mechanics of this adaptation process, little was known about how plants detect where sunlight is coming from. A team of scientists found the answer deep inside the cells of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Scientists map biodiversity changes in the world's forests

Published:31.05.24 — A group of EPFL and ETH Zurich scientists have mapped the biodiversity in forests worldwide. Their data, when combined with climate projections, reveal trends that could support ecosystem conservation and restoration efforts.

How rising treelines can affect Alpine lakes

Published:08.05.24 — An EPFL scientist along with colleagues from universities across Europe have completed the first-ever quantitative study of the changes that soil organic matter from forests can cause in high-altitude and high-latitude lakes once it’s dissolved in the water

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.

Understanding our existing heritage

Published:25.10.22 — In this article appearing in a local newspapers, Paola Viganò, head of EPFL’s Habitat Research Center, and Valentin Bourdon, its coordinator, highlight why it’s so important to understand past architects’ intentions when adapting heritage buildings to modern contexts.

Local energy solutions help tackle global challenges

Published:21.09.22 — In this article originally appearing in French, Sergi Aguacil, an architect and head of the Building2050 Group at EPFL’s School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), discusses the research he’s doing at the Smart Living Lab in Fribourg to develop distributed power generation and seasonal storage systems for buildings.

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!

Five new ENAC Interdisciplinary Cluster Grant projects

Published:15.09.22 — ENAC's 3rd call for Interdisciplinary Cluster Grants resulted in 5 new projects, across ENAC's Institutes, addressing novel interdisciplinary research questions linked to climate change, digitalization and urbanzation.