News & Events
Living Labs workshop: Barriers, enablers and good practices
Living Labs are a core research method for the SWICE project. They allow us to test and validate our research in a real-life setting. From whole neighborhoods to single buildings, the six SWICE Living Labs are very diverse in their focus, formats, and...
Living Labs Spotlight: Suurstoffi
Picture: ZugEstates AG From O₂ production to CO₂ reduction “Suurstoffi” is the Swiss German word for oxygen. In 1926, the company Sauerstoff- & Wasserstoff-Werk Luzern AG built a brick building in Rotkreuz that later became known as Suurstoffi. Almost a...
Real-world impact: Workshop on the rapid transformation on Swiss housing
The built environment is a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions. The construction phase uses large amounts of carbon-intensive materials, and buildings require energy for heating, cooling and general operation throughout their lifespans. In Switzerland, numerous...
Living Lab Schoenberg: Two weeks to turn a heat island into a cool archipelago
The central square of the Schoenberg neighborhood, in Fribourg, is a textbook example of an urban heat island. It is mostly made of concrete and stone, with little shade, greenery or water in sight. In August, the team led by Séréna Vanbutsele measured the temperature...
Living Labs Spotlight: La Jonction
Staying cool in a changing climate As heatwaves increase in frequency and severity, SWICE WP5 is focused on two important questions: how do we transform the outdoors and change our habits to adapt to hotter summers? Can we do so in a way that prioritizes...
Philippe Thalmann appointed as new SWICE Coordinator
The SWICE consortium is delighted to welcome Prof. Philippe Thalmann as the new SWICE Coordinator. Philippe will take over the responsibility from Prof. Marilyne Andersen, who has been leading the consortium since its inception. Philippe is a Swiss economist and...
The 3rd SWICE conference: fruitful exchanges, fishbowl panels and a warm farewell
The third SWICE conference, which took place on the 4th of June 2025 in Winterthur, has concluded to a resounding success. The annual event gathers all SWICE researchers for a full day of knowledge exchange and networking. This year, discussions benefitted enormously...
Real-world impact: SWICE research driving label development
How can scientific research contribute to the development of certification processes? What role do New Work, mobility, and energy play in evolving certification labels? These questions took center stage at a WP6 workshop, organized in collaboration with the label...
Living Labs Spotlight: Schönberg
What is happening in the Schönberg neighbourhood in Fribourg? The Living Lab Fribourg has entered its second phase, which is focused on co-designing. In the Schönberg neighbourhood, the SWICE WP5 team has been working closely with local residents and...
The 1st SWICE Conference Concludes with Remarkable Success and Collaborative Spirit
We are thrilled to announce the successful conclusion of our inaugural SWICE conference, which brought together enthusiastic participants and highlighted remarkable achievements. This momentous event provided a platform to showcase the groundbreaking work of our WPs...
SWICE Webinar 1. Wellbeing and sufficiency
SWICE project aims to identify conditions for high well-being with low energy use, as well as transition pathways towards such conditions. In this webinar, we’ll explore approaches to well-being, and the link to human needs, sufficiency, and provisioning systems, as...
SWICE Newsletter 1
Check out the SWICE first newsletter! In this issue, we will be providing you with updates on the main objectives of our project, introducing you to the members of our consortium, highlighting the exciting work taking place in our SWICE Living Labs, and sharing...
Energy research in real life
"At SWICE, we focus on people as drivers of change. We focus on the built environment as a place of change – from individual buildings to neighborhoods". Marilyne Andersen, SWICE coordinator, explains to SFOE the main objectives of the SWICE project and what is...
SWICE Operational Management Team meeting
Today, in our SWICE Operational Management Team meeting, we discussed on how to make our project management agile and dynamic, to ensure a smooth coordination and collaboration among the partners.Our multidisciplinary team of work packages leaders already reported on...
SWICE kick-off meeting
Today the SWICE consortium and its cooperation partners met at Smart Living Lab of Fribourg to get the SWICE project officially started. With more than 60 participants, the kick-off meeting laid the foundation for a fruitful trans- and interdisciplinary collaboration...
A sustainable energy transition starts with individuals
EPFL and the Smart Living Lab will embark on an eight-year research project designed to help Switzerland cut its energy use. A key feature of the project lies in the way it will engage with people through Living Labs. By bringing together universities, businesses and...