An ENAC semester project (4 ECTS) can be carried out during the first three semesters of the Master cycle. This course allows students to apply and consolidate their theoretical knowledge to plan and realize interdisciplinary research projects.
Students can choose between different interdisciplinary topics offered by ENAC teachers. Students have also the possibility to develop their own project ideas and have access to SKIL, a workshop environment permitting the realization of hands-on projects. Students may also choose to participate in a MAKE project for their ENAC semester project.
Students can choose to follow either an ENAC Semester Project or an ENAC Summer Workshop and integrate it into their study plan as follows:
- Master in Civil Engineering: among the branches of Block 2
- Master in Environmental Science and Engineering: from the range of options not included in a specialization
- Master in Architecture: as an optional branch
In the ENAC Semester Project, the aim is that students do not only perform an interdisciplinary project, but are also are equipped with the tools to design an interdisciplinary project themselves. Student use the interdisciplinary bridges by conducting autonomously an interdisciplinary research project. The expected transversal and interdisciplinary learning outcomes of the ENAC Semester Projects are:
| Practical intelligence | Plan and carry out an interdisciplinary project independently; fix objectives, manage and monitor progress of work; present, discuss and communicate research results to different disciplines. |
| Creative intelligence | Explore research questions in a wider context; develop risky hypotheses; design and defend coherent and innovative solutions. |
| Analytical intelligence | Identify and structure the problem in a systemic way; analyze the complexity of the system; synthetize information; critically evaluate solutions and results; apply interdisciplinary knowledge to new problems or themes. |
| Reflective intelligence | Be aware of the challenges of interdisciplinary work and develop solutions to deal with them; reflect on the relevance of different approaches and integrate tools from multiple disciplines; be aware of the social and human implications of engineers/architects; take responsibility for the environmental impacts of one’s actions and decisions; anticipate and adapt to unforeseen challenges in a project. |
Students can work on an ENAC semester project individually or in groups with peers from one or more ENAC sections. ENAC semester projects can contribute to meeting mandatory requirements of the sections. Students obtain four credits for the successful completion of an ENAC semester project. In the context of the ENAC semester projects, students may also be supervised by a teacher from another EPFL school. In this case, an agreement has to be made between the respective sections.
Students choose the topic they are interested in from a list of projects provided by the teachers for the respective semester or submit their own ideas to potential supervisors. In any case, the students have to meet their teachers before the beginning of the semester (at semester start, at latest) to receive a confirmation for the supervision.
In addition to the projects below, interdisciplinary MAKE projects such as RebuiLT and Sailowtech can also be chosen, in which case the students can contact the project coordinator for more information. A complete list of available MAKE projects can be found here.
| Projet | Enseignant Principal I (valide le projet) | Enseignant Principal II |
| Hands-on sustainability projects in the SKIL | Cotture Samuel | |
| Tree Canopy to Architecture: Collective Design of Nature-Inspired Shading Systems for Well-being | Zhang Zhujing | Bachofen Christoph |
| Timber: python code for simulation of dimensional variations in a timber joint under hygrometric variations + validation on samples | Weinand Yves | Gilliard Damien |
| Landscape Transfomation : Mapping Time, Space and Habitat | Gitai Ben | |
| Exploring Triggers, Co-Adoption Patterns, and Spatial Contexts in the Residential Building Sector | Hecher Maria Anna | Montfort Simon Andres |
| “Unmasking Space: Echoes of the Unseen” | Iweins Antoine | |
| La part modale du train en fonction de la distance des déplacements en Suisse dans une perspective temporelle | Kaufmann Vincent | Masse Florian Lucien Jacques |
| Investigating optimal pricing schemes for balancing the charging demand of electric ride-hailing vehicles | Maljkovic Marko | Geroliminis Nikolaos |
| Telescope protective cupola design & prototype | Nussbaumer Alain | Vassilopoulos Anastasios |
| Inverse product differentiation logit (IPDL) for migration data | Paschalidis Evangelos | Ilinov Pavel |
| Autonomous UAV Navigation and processing of airborne sensing data. | Skaloud Jan | Jospin Laurent Valentin |
| ENAC semester projects on sustainability issues, proposed by Lab of environmental and urban economics | Thalmann Philippe | |
| Réalité virtuelle: Visualiser des modèles architecturaux | Zurbrügg Peter | Nussbaumer Alain |