NEW MINOR IN SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

Projekt K 118, Winterthur © baubüro in situ AG

The minor in Sustainable Construction contributes to the development of a holistic and integrated approach of construction design, enabling students to acquire the necessary skills to deal with the challenges of sustainability.

The program covers the whole range of sustainable construction, i.e., from architectural conception, structural engineering to urban design and the end-of-life. Energy policy, natural hazard risk mitigation, circularity (re-use, waste valorization) and social impacts are among the topics discussed.  

The minor has 3 main objectives:

  • Encourage collaborative innovation by fostering inter- and intra-disciplinary cooperation among students to tackle the sustainability challenges.
  • Advance sustainable building practices through wise application of innovative low-carbon materials, lean design principles—including active stakeholder engagement—and efficient construction methodologies, thus creating buildings and infrastructures that enhance energy efficiency and support healthier living environments.
  • Cultivate comprehensive risk assessment skills, emphasizing the necessity of thorough and rigorous evaluation of environmental uncertainties to ensure resilience.

The minor is open to Master students enrolled at EPFL, and it is specifically targeted to students with an interest in the construction domain. Students from Architecture, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering and the School of Engineering are welcome to participate, without conditions. Students from other disciplines may apply, too, after a discussion with the Head of field of study (Prof. Alain Nussbaumer) and their section’s approval. Additional courses may be asked to guarantee that the students have the required knowledge for the minor.

You should choose this minor if you want to:

  • Shape a more sustainable and resilient future for society
  • Expand your career options by enhancing your ability to work in diverse fields
  • Put your learning into practice with an exciting 5 to 8 ECTS (depending on your section) project of your choice.

The minor consists of 30 credits, which must be completed during the master’s program. The study plan is being finalized and will be uploaded as soon as possible.

The courses of the minor are divided into the following categories:

  • Interdisciplinary project in sustainability: a 5 to 8 ECTS (depending on your section) optional project specifically designed for this minor.
  • Systems understanding: focuses on human and ecosystem well-being, resilience, and structural dynamics
  • Technology and analytics: develop skills in energy, materials, spatial planning and circularity
  • Social integration and change: addresses governance, political economy, and stakeholder engagement, preparing students to manage social and political aspects of sustainability.

To enroll for the minor, the student needs to :

  1. Contact Prof. Alain Nussbaumer ([email protected]) to discuss their study plan of the minor.
  1. Fill in the registration form (document coming soon) (with the selection of 30 credits). Email it to [email protected], with cc to the secretariat of their section
  2. Once the registration form has been validated, they can register on IS-Academia for the minor and corresponding classes.

Head of field of study: Alain Nussbaumer

Coordinator: Kyriaki Goulouti

Consultative committee:

  1. Michael Aklin (STI)
  2. Katrin Bayer (ENAC)
  3. Sophie Delhay (ENAC)
  4. Dieter Dietz (ENAC)
  5. Corentin Fivet (ENAC)
  6. Aneta Kenclova (ENAC student)
  7. Brice Lecampion (ENAC)
  8. Yves Leterrier (STI)
  9. Sascha Nick (ENAC)
  10. Alain Nussbaumer (ENAC)
  11. Karen Scrivener (STI)
  12. Martyn Wakeman (STI)

Moderators :

  1. Hugo Cabaret (ENAC student)
  2. Anne Paula Dekeukelaere (CWSC)
  3. Nils Havelka (STI)
  4. Marina Nicollier (ENAC)