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Education

Sarah Planchamp, diplômée en architecture devant le barrage de la Grande Dixence.© EPFL/Marie Geiser

What will the Grande Dixence region look like 200 years from now?

Education

Master’s project – An EPFL architecture student explored what the area around the Grande Dixence dam in Valais Canton might look like in 2223, drawing on scientific data to shed light on the long-term implications of environmental change.

Andreas Schüler with an infrared camera in his laboratory.© EPFL/Alain Herzog

Physics sheds light on the study of architecture

Education

Andreas Schüler, an expert in specialty materials for solar energy conversion, is this year’s winner of both the PolySphère award for best teacher at EPFL’s School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC) and the PolySphère d’Or award for best teacher at EPFL. The awards are given out by EPFL students, who selected Schüler for his outstanding teaching in his Building Physics class. 

ALICE building site started in May 2023 at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum .©2023 EPFL/M.Geiser-CC-BY-SA 4.0

New, sustainable structures installed at three iconic sites in Geneva

Education

EPFL architecture students have designed lightweight structures made from recycled wood and earth for three public spaces in Geneva: Parc Rigot; the entrance to Parc des Feuillantines; and the gardens of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum.

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Research

Salvatore Aprea, between archives and projection of wall prototypes. © 2023 EPFL / A. Herzog

Experts revive ancient techniques to make concrete more sustainable

Research

A team of experts from EPFL, ETH Zurich and a Geneva-based architecture firm has developed a new type of non-reinforced concrete made from stone offcuts. Their method, which reduces the use of carbon-intensive cement-based binders, draws on ancient techniques uncovered in historical archives.

Aerial view of the experimental site in Siberia.© EPFL/Yugra State University, Khanty-Mansiysk

Scientists explore hidden dynamics in peat under mosses and shrubs

Research

Global warming is causing extensive changes to peatland vegetation in Europe and Western Siberia, with consequences for soil composition and the peatlands’ ability to sequester carbon. An EPFL-led study has examined the mechanisms behind these complex processes.

Durban's beach after a flood on 13 April 2022, two years after the one of 2019. © iStock/Antonio BlancoDR

AI helps detecting plastic in oceans

Research

A research team from EPFL and Wageningen University has developed a new artificial intelligence model that recognises floating plastics much more accurately in satellite images than before. This could help to systematically remove plastic litter from the oceans with ships.

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Innovation

© 2022 EPFL

“Google Earth on steroids” gives a boost to urban development

Innovation

Uzufly’s technology uses aerial imaging to generate 3D models of cities and regions with advanced precision, enabling urban planners to incorporate full-scale designs of all types of architectural and urban structures.

Comparaison visuelle de Zanzibar City, en Tanzanie. carte de la densité de population en haute résolution (à gauche) et avec POMELO (à droite)

AI enables more effective humanitarian action

Innovation

Researchers from ENAC and ETH Zurich, working together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Bin Khalifa Unversity (Qatar), have developed a program that can generate population density estimates with unparalleled precision, and only needs a rough estimate at the regional level to learn.

Margaux Peltier is an EPFL civil engineer. © Martin Ruetsche

Tapping into the energy stored beneath our cities

Innovation

In this article appearing in Switzerland’s French-speaking press, Margaux Peltier, the CEO of Enerdrape and a research assistant at EPFL’s Laboratory of Soil Mechanics, explains how recent technology developed at EPFL can help bring geothermal energy into existing buildings.

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Video and audio

Video | Science popularization “Une ville où tu respires”

31-10-2023

In the video intended for young audiences «Une ville où tu respires», our experts present their research on traffic and congestion management, urban greening, urban planning on a neighborhood scale, and the impact of pollution on health and mobility.

Video |Trees are not always a miracle cure for improving air quality

13-09-2023

Master’s project in environmental sciences and engineering – 2023

Video | How to make an on-demand bus network viable

13-09-2023

Master’s project in civil engineering – 2023

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ENAC Community

Katrin Beyer served as ENAC’s associate dean from 2020 to 2023. © EPFL / Armand Goy

Katrin Beyer appointed dean of ENAC

EPFL community

Katrin Beyer, currently an associate dean at EPFL’s School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), will take over as dean of ENAC on 1 January 2024. She’s a renowned expert in her field and has headed the Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics Laboratory (EESD) at ENAC since 2010.

© 2016 Alain Herzog

Jacques Lucan (1947-2023)

EPFL community

Éminent théoricien de l'architecture, le professeur Jacques Lucan a enseigné à l'EPFL de 1993 à 2015. Il s'est éteint le 8 octobre 2023.

© 2005 Alain Herzog

Pierre Frey (1949-2023)

EPFL community

Ancien directeur des Archives de la construction moderne et professeur honoraire EPFL, Pierre Frey nous a quittés le 6 octobre 2023.

More news about ENAC community

Columns

Glòria Serra Coch is architect and researcher at EPFL. © Alain Herzog / 2023 EPFL

Energy is (not) sexy

EPFL

In this article appearing in three local newspapers, Glòria Serra Coch, architect and PhD student at EPFL’s Human Environment Relations in Urban Systems (HERUS), wonders how to make the energy turn around more attractive.

Dimitrios Lignos is the Director of the Civil Engineering Institute at EPFL. © EPFL/Alain Herzog

How can we use steel efficiently for sustainable design?

Research

In this column, published in three regional dailies, Dimitrios Lignos, who heads EPFL’s Resilient Steel Structures Laboratory (RESSLab), explains how his laboratory's research is contributing to a more thoughtful use of steel in construction.

Emmanuel Rey is Associate professor of Architecture and Sustainable Construction Technologies. © Tonatiuh Ambrosetti

Toward post-carbon neighborhoods?

EPFL

In this column, published in three local dailies, Emmanuel Rey, Associate professor of Architecture and Sustainable Construction Technologies and head of the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST), explains what lies behind the concept of "post-carbon neighborhoods".

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