NRP 81 Session series BAUKULTUR: A EUROPEAN GENEALOGY Tuesday, 20 January 2026 (18:00 – 19:30) Venue: Winterthur, ZHAW, MD E0.17 (Tössfeldstrassse 11, 8401 Winterthur) ZOOM ID: 68258520857 This concluding session broadens the genealogical question, exploring the theme of transformation. Undoubtedly, Umbakultur is inextricably linked to the very concept of Baukultur, and can also be read by tracing back through the main strands of European urban culture. Invited speakers Paul Landauer, Paris Discussants: Paola Viganò, Pierre Caye, Andri Gerber, Caspar Schärer

14.10.25 - An EPFL study shows red light, like blue, causes stronger glare than white, challenging the century-old and globally used function that describes how the human eye responds to different light wavelengths. The findings have implications for standards and research, as well as for the comfort of building occupants. Glare from sunlight can be a major source of discomfort for building occupants, especially when the windows have inadequate shadings. New smart glazing technology aims to provide protection from overheating in summer and from glare by changing the tint level to reduce the amount of solar radiation that passes through. …

01.10.25 - The TRC-LC3 Prototype Pavilion, developed at EPFL Fribourg is exhibited at the 14th International Architecture Biennale of São Paulo. By exploring the structural, architectural, environmental, and social dimensions of TRC-LC3, the research highlights its potential for application in the Global South. The 14th International Architecture Biennale of São Paulo (@bienaldearquiteturasp) for an Overheated Planet, EXTREMOS, places an urgent question at the center of the dialogue: what is the role of architecture in a world facing extreme climate events and the very limits of human life, with the point of no return looming on the horizon? In line with …

Projets de Master 2025 Exhibition and reviews The 2025 Master Projects Exhibition showcases the work of EPFL architecture students as they confront the material, social, and territorial challenges of today’s world. Spread across three distinct areas, the exhibition showcases a diverse range of approaches: some projects delve into the use of local resources and traditional craftsmanship, working with materials such as wood or earth, or exploring self-building techniques. Others operate at larger scales, reimagining urban and territorial dynamics in light of environmental and societal shifts. A third group focuses on housing, both collective and individual, and on interventions within existing …

EPFL architecture graduates, Vincent Digneaux, Solène Guisan and Vincent Kastl, were crowned winners of the Sustainable is Beautiful student architecture prize for their modular footbridge over the Chamberonne river. Designing the structure, which serves as both a crossing and a meeting place, gave them their first taste of life as an architect. Several years ago, the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) at EPFL’s School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC) launched Sustainable is Beautiful, a competition run in partnership with public and private organizations involved in green-transition projects, to help equip budding architects for their future role.

WINNER OF THE 2023 RIBA CHARLES JENCKS AWARD

The Dogma practice, founded in 2002 by Pier Vittorio Aureli, associate professor at the EPFL Architecture Department (ENAC), and Martino Tattara, has been awarded the prestigious Charles Jencks 2023 Prize by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Created in 2003 to reward an individual (or office) who has recently made a major contribution to both the theory and practice of architecture, this prestigious prize has distinguished architects such as Peter Eisenman, Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron over the years.

Housing is a major contributor to Switzerland's carbon footprint and energy consumption, but it is also a basic need. Research on climate change mitigation strategies has so far paid insufficient attention to households' preferences and their contribution to housing sustainability. Depicting residential preferences requires an understanding of the multilevel, context-specific, and interrelated determinants of the match between households and dwellings, which are made explicit in the residential mobility process.