Research, teaching, and practice are directly interlinked, with the aim of testing research findings within the project itself and making a tangible contribution to the fields of construction in existing buildings and adaptive reuse. These insights are intended to be transferable to other projects and buildings.
The LLHIL was initiated by Professor Matthias Kohler in the Department of Architecture and Hannes Pichler, Director of Real Estate Management at ETH Zurich, with the involvement of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering D-BAUG. The project is coordinated and developed by the internal LLHIL planning team.
EVENTS & NEWS
Hilti supports the Living Lab HIL
The Hilti Group, based in Liechtenstein, will support LLHIL as a funding partner from 2026 to 2028.
#WeLoveArchitecturalModels
Yesterday’s task: We rearranged all the architectural models in our office so that they can be better appreciated.
A look behind the facade
To assess the reuse potential of the HIL’s approximately 6,000 facade elements, a section of the facade was opened and examined in detail.
INPUT PROJECTS
The HIL building project will serve research and teaching purposes over a period of three years. It aims to develop new approaches to planning, construction, and use, by leveraging interdisciplinary collaboration between ETH professors and their students and researchers, as well as with specialist departments at ETH and partners from the construction industry.
-
Elective Course BUK – Building with Paper and Cardboard
New Recycling: How can paper and cardboard, two of the largest waste streams at D-ARCH, be used as new building materials? In this elective course, students develop mock-ups and test their potential for the future transformation of the HIL building.
-
Form to Force
The Digital Structural Twin is being used to develop a digital interface between the architectural and structural models. This interface can be used to perform static analyses of different variants (e.g. for the extension of the HIL) very quickly and in a workflow-based manner.
Prof. Andreas Taras -
Master of Integrated Building Systems I and II
Using the HIL building as a case study, students will explore how comfort, climate, and energy consumption interact, and develop alternative solutions for the buildings of tomorrow.
Prof. Dr. Arno Schlüter -
Continuing to develop HIL together
A systematic assessment of the requirements and expectations of HIL users serves as the empirical basis for the future transformation of the building.
Prof. Dr. Adrienne Grêt-Regamey, Prof. Momoyo Kaijima, Prof. Dr. David Kaufmann, Prof. Dr. Laurent Stalder -
Translucent and lightweight
With Hollow-Core 3D Printing (HC3DP), translucent, lightweight, and insulating elements made from recycled polymers can be produced. These components open up new structural, energy-related, and aesthetic possibilities for architectural applications.
Prof. Dr. Benjamin Dillenburger -
Assessing net-zero strategies for the renovation of the HIL building
The thesis examines renovation strategies for the HIL building with regard to ETH Zurich's net zero targets. It shows that replacing just four components would significantly reduce emissions.
Prof. Dr. Guillaume Habert
