MEP Smart Living Lab | 2018-2019

The interdisciplinary competition (MEP) for the design of the Smart Living Lab’s future building was launched on December 14, 2018, with the participation of four teams (see gallery below).
Having participated in the drafting of the competition specifications, the role of the Building2050 group was then to provide its expertise by analysing the technical aspects of the projects, and by communicating these results to the college of experts.
The final jury took place on July 2 and 3, 2019, and led to the choice of the “HOP” project (Behnisch Architekten, Drees & Sommer Schweiz AG, ZPF Ingenieure AG).

To meet Switzerland’s 2050 energy strategy, very demanding specifications have been drawn up on the basis of 4 years of research conducted mainly by the Building2050 group. The Smart Living Lab and Bluefactory Fribourg-Freiburg SA have set up an innovative and unique procedure: a collaborative parallel study mandate (MEP), to integrate them into the preliminary design of its new building, intended to be experimental, pioneering in the efficient use of resources and meets the 2000W Society’s objectives.

Following a pre-qualification phase of the candidates, 4 multidisciplinary groups were selected to carry out the MEP study phase. This step was introduced by an information session on December 14, 2018.

The MEP’s study phase was marked by 3 stages of analysis and elaboration: 2 intermediate dialogues, particularly innovative in terms of collaboration, and a final dialogue.
The first of these dialogues took place on February 19, 2019, followed by a day of exchanges between Smart Living Lab specialists (including Building2050) and the panel of experts.

This mandate for parallel studies is characterized by its openness to exchange. Dialog B, which took place on April 8, 2019, intensified the interaction between all participants, allowing a sharing of approaches, ideas and solutions between candidates and a possibility of project evolution during the process. 

On June 6, 2019, the candidates presented their final projects separately, in front of the panel of experts and of the Smart Living Lab’s specialists and organizers.