Habitat Lab transforms a former 1950s cafeteria into a training and innovation space that combines refurbishment and extension to demonstrate sustainable construction solutions under real operating conditions.
Habitat Lab is Saint-Gobain’s training centre and showroom in Milan, conceived as a space to develop, monitor and showcase sustainable construction solutions. The project originated from the transformation of a cafeteria built in the 1950s, complemented by a newly constructed extension, resulting in a high-performance building dedicated both to professional training activities and to the practical demonstration of the Multi Comfort programme.
The intervention focuses on the building’s operational performance, using the space itself as a laboratory to evaluate solutions applied to the built environment and to disseminate knowledge among industry professionals. According to the published information, the building achieves an energy use intensity of 22 kWh/m² per year and an onsite renewable energy production of the same magnitude, 22 kWh/m² per year, reflecting a balance between energy consumption and generation. The case also stands out for its educational and research function, integrating training activities, performance monitoring and experimentation with new solutions aimed at improving the sustainability of buildings.
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