ENAC, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering

The disciplines grouped in the school of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC) are called upon to find solutions to the most important challenge of our time : to guarantee a sustainable living environment for humanity through a successful integration of human activities within the biosphere.

Interdisciplinarity

At ENAC, several scientific communities come together under one roof: environmental engineers, civil engineers, architects, and social scientists. Combining disciplinary depth and interdisciplinary breadth, our teaching and research activities contribute to the common goal of finding solutions for a sustainable future by engaging together about the quality of our environment.

ENAC School has a long tradition of interdisciplinarity, such as realized in the teaching program Design Together and different research activities. Furthermore, the School supports initiatives fostering interdisciplinary student projects, such as the Swiss Living Challenge and the Student Kreativity and Innovation Lab (SKIL).

There exist many interdisciplinary research and teaching collaborations between the different ENAC laboratories. These common academic activities are visualized by the Affinity Map, which uncovers cohesion within the School in terms of joint teaching activities, co-supervision responsibilities, and co-authored publications.

ENAC at a glance

EPFL researchers make a key discovery on how alpine streams work

Published:18.03.19 — An EPFL study has showed that until now, scientists have been substantially underestimating how quickly gases are exchanged between mountain streams and the atmosphere. Based on research in the Swiss cantons of Vaud and Valais, an EPFL laboratory has shed new light on the role of mountain streams to emit greenhouse gases.

Cable cars could reshape urban landscapes

Published:18.03.19 — For his thesis at EPFL, Fernando Simas studied how cable cars could be an appealing transportation option for city commuters, and how they could be incorporated into tomorrow’s urban landscapes.

Keeping track of fragrances

Published:14.03.19 — A new device developed at Eawag now allows Scientists to determine whether, and to what extent, fragrances in the environment are absorbed in fish without using animals. This is possible thanks to the use of a mirror-polished stainless steel chamber and a permeable membrane with a layer of intestinal fish cells.

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Education

At ENAC, students are offered world-class undergraduate and graduate courses, allowing them to become specialists in their own domain of study. Throughout their bachelor education, students acquire the foundation upon which they build their specialization in the master’s degree program.

Hands-on design projects with deliberate exposure to other disciplines add unique value in preserving a broad approach to knowledge and recognizing how each discipline directly or indirectly connects to others.

Mandatory internships in industry and academia give students early exposure to what awaits them after their graduation. Early on in their studies, students experience for themselves the potential and the challenge of interdisciplinary breadth and plant the seeds for their budding careers.

Architecture

Training the future architects by giving them a solid polytechnic training is the key role of the EPFL Architecture Section: the Bachelor's years constitute a common base, the Master phase crowning the personal development.

Civil Engineering

EPFL's civil engineering studies enable our students to acquire the knowledge necessary for the development of large-scale projects as well as for their management and realization. The first three years of bachelor's studies focus on acquiring the basics necessary for understanding concepts, mastering construction techniques, evaluating these techniques and integrating them into our natural and built environment.

Environmental Sciences and Engineering

Our planet faces multiple challenges to the environment, some of the major ones being - climate change, depletion of resources such as drinking water, increasing pollution, human population growth and the loss of biodiversity.

Research

Research within ENAC shapes the environment we live. As part of a world-class science with a strong interdisciplinary culture, it addresses many of the major challenges faced by society today through collaborative research projects.

With over 80 laboratories, ENAC researchers work at the interface between human activities and the biosphere, from underground microbial ecosystems to complex human urban systems.

Institute of Architecture

The Institute of Architecture and the city was established to promote research in architecture and urban planning. This fundamental mission reflects the fact that high-quality architecture, well-constructed structures and buildings that fit in seamlessly with their surroundings, natural and urban landscapes and cultural heritage are clearly in the public interest.

Civil Engineering Institute

The Civil Engineering Institute at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne performs research in the core disciplines of Civil Engineering : Geo-engineering, hydraulics and fluids, structures and materials, transport and mobility, buildings and energy systems.

Environmental Engineering Institute

IIE research units pioneer adaptation to environmental changes as part of sustainable design. Our emphasis is on translational science based upon rigorous understanding our environment, seamless integration of data and models, humans as integral parts of environmental systems, and development of novel, leading-edge technologies.

Innovation

To facilitate and encourage outreach and innovation, ENAC actively promotes research partnerships with public and private organizations, tech-transfer, and the launch of spin-offs.

A dedicated industrial liaisons officier and a strategic vigil work with EPFL's Technology Transfer Office to identify promising technologies and provide assistance drafting patents, raising funds, and getting start-ups off the ground.

By partnering with laboratories at ENAC, companies and public entities gain access to some of the most advanced research teams and equipment.

InnoSeed ENAC

InnoSeed ENAC is an incentive program to encourage innovation and technology transfer at EPFL’s School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering.

More about InnoSeed ENAC

Industrial liaison

ENAC's Industrial Liaison Officer facilitates the connection with private and public partners. All new opportunities are welcome and special care is taken to build high quality long-term relationships.

More about industrial liaison