At the end of June, both the ETH Executive Board and the ETH Board approved Phase II of the Living Lab HIL research and construction project. This is an important milestone. Phase II will run from mid-2026 to the end of 2028, focusing primarily on planning the construction project. Central to this planning are the renovation and spatial extension of the HIL building, testing spaces for 1:1 scale prototype development, the targeted integration of teaching and research findings, and the realisation and testing of prototypes. The concepts and innovations developed within the input projects will be systematically evaluated in terms of their potential for implementation, and depending on the results, they will be integrated into the planning process.
During Phase II, the LLHIL planning team will be expanded and strengthened with additional expertise. In parallel, design planning will advance, focusing particularly on future teaching and learning environments, sustainability, digitalisation, and innovation transfer. This work will be carried out in close collaboration with ETH Zurich’s Real Estate Management department, the main contractor, specialist planners, participating professors from D-ARCH and D-BAUG, and the HIL user committee.
The design planning will be implemented using the Progressive Design-Build process. In this collaborative project delivery model, the client selects a total contractor to oversee planning and implementation at an early stage. Unlike conventional processes, planning and implementation are developed in close collaboration with specialist planners and contractors.
The approval of Phase II was preceded by an intensive development phase. During Phase I, the technical and organisational foundations for Living Lab HIL were established. This included analysing and surveying the building technically, creating a 3D spatial model, developing a spatial programme, conducting studies on phased implementation while the building remains in operation, carrying out architectural and urban planning studies, and laying the groundwork for planning and digitalisation. At the same time, the Living Lab HIL structures were established, collaborative Input Projects were defined and launched, and the website and communication channels were set up. The project organisation, governance and financing were also prepared. With the submission of the statement of need to the ETH Board, Phase I was successfully completed.
