Purpose and activities

From the start, the Building2050 group has been busy with the creation of the Smart Living Lab’s building, intended to meet the Swiss Confederation’s energy requirements for year 2050 as of now. This vast task includes many aspects to be discovered below, ranging from a holistic research program, to obtaining environmental certifications.
Acting as a centralized platform, the group also serves the Smart Living Lab research units and community, as explained further.

© Behnisch Architekten, 2023

Integration of Innovation

  • Latest PV technologies (building-integrated & semi-transparent)
  • Hydrogen-based seasonal storage (H₂ pre-installations)
  • Low-carbon concrete (LC3) applied to most structural elements
  • Radon mitigation systems & dedicated research infrastructure to monitor behavior beneath the building
  • Thermal Envelope Monitoring (façade monitoring & performance assessment)
  • Co-design for disassembly and reversibility
  • Integration of BIM with Swiss Environmental Certification Standards, complemented by research-based requirements (50-60% self-sufficiency)

Construction site & Environmental Monitoring

  • Site monitoring platform (multi-type data integration)
  • Installation of sensors & live data collection
  • Environmental & Research Charter:
    • ⚡ Electricity consumption tracking
    • 💧 Water consumption tracking
    • ⛽ Fuel consumption tracking
    • 🚜 Machinery inventory
    • ♻ Materials & waste management (quantitative monitoring)

Collaborative Development & Co-Design

  • Close collaboration with JPF (construction company)
  • Active participation in construction site meetings & thematic workshops
  • Regularly joint sessions with stakeholders to integrate research and innovation into the construction process

One of the main tasks of the Building2050 group is presently to support Smart Living Lab’s research groups by providing:

  • Management and coordination of cutting-edge research facilities, such as CELLS
  • Technical support
  • Project coordination
  • Other tools

The Building2050 group strives to encourage internal synergies within an interinstitutional environment and to promote collaboration with external partners.

In addition, it collaborates on research projects on the design of buildings with high energy efficiency and low environmental impact, such as:

One of the important tasks of the Smart Living Lab consists in knowledge transfer to academia, practitioners and industry.

In this scope, the Building2050 group is involved in: