Smart Living Lab

Located in Fribourg’s emerging blueFACTORY district—a hub connecting stakeholders from business, innovation, culture, and society—the Smart Living Lab provides space for experimental, interdisciplinary research into resource-efficient construction. Positioned at the heart of what becomes a low-carbon neighborhood, the building acts at once as a research facility and a research tool to develop new carbon-neutral building methods.

More than a space for institutions, the SLL is itself an evolving case study. Experimentation spaces and publicly visible work are distributed across all floors, from integrated winter gardens to a rooftop terrace. Together with a central atrium, these spaces can adapt to seasonal changes and optimize passive resources such as daylight and natural ventilation. Together with the atrium, a forecourt—partially shaded by a pergola—fosters social interaction and encourages chance encounters.

The building’s structure prioritizes maximum long-term flexibility to accommodate shifting research topics, teams, and even potential future residential use. A 6-by-6-meter grid of timber posts and prefabricated wooden box slabs enables an open-plan layout. These slabs, with their channel-like cross-section, were tested for integrated air distribution so as to eliminate conventional ductwork and enhance both spatial flexibility and resource efficiency. The facade is equally integral to the climate strategy. Optimized brise-soleil elements provide shading and incorporate photovoltaic panels, generating renewable energy as part of a carbon-efficient system. The modularity also allows for future adaptation in line with evolving research goals.