The Smart Living Lab brings together the combined expertise of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg (HEIA-FR), and the University of Fribourg (UNIFR) in research areas such as construction technologies, well-being and behaviors, interactions and design processes, and energy systems.

The projects carried out at the Smart Living Lab include technology demonstrators, educational and research projects, social and behavioral studies, and the development of new design methods and processes. These projects typically involve collaborations between partners from the private, public and academic sectors, sometimes including students. This allows partners who are interested in developing innovative projects access to some unique interdisciplinary competences, as well as the excellent research infrastructure available at the heart of the Switzerland Innovation Park (SIP) Network West EPFL.

The Smart Living Lab’s current activities are based around four research domains:

• Well-Being and behaviors: Improve human health and comfort by optimizing indoor environmental quality and influencing behaviors in a positive way.
• Interactions and design processes: Understand and structure dialogue among stakeholders in the building lifecycle to develop the tools to design, model and operate buildings.
• Energy systems: Develop smart energy-efficient systems and technologies, improve their management, and anticipate legal and economic impacts.
• Construction technologies: Monitor resource efficiency and accelerate processes of change in construction.