Sustainable hybridizations for Microcity
On the occasion of Microcity official opening, the new branch of EPFL in Neuchâtel, a special edition of the journal TRACÉS is dedicated to this building. Realized by the general contractor ERNE and the architectural firm Bauart, of which Professor Emmanuel Rey of the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) is a partner, this building is characterized by the integration of many innovative strategies. From urban design to constructive detail, the development of Microcity thus presents a remarkable global coherence for the integration of sustainability criteria. One of the common notion between these different architectural works is the concept of hybridizations, in other terms the search of novel synergy and optimization by the association of different concepts, different technologies and different materials.
By its strategic situation, the building contributes to the densification process of the city of Neuchâtel, notably characterized by the creation of new urban polarities next to the public transportation. As a significant reference point in the urban morphology, Microcity generates a new site structuring, not only for its own inner spaces, but also for the public spaces in the whole neighborhood.
The construction system is based in the use of hybrid elements in wood and concrete, which leads to a minimization of embodied energy, an important the building flexibility and a strong reduction of the edification time.
With its compactness and the thermal quality its building skin, Microcity presents a high level of energy efficiency. But, beyond an own energy performance, Microcity is also a motor for the integration of renewable energies of a large urban area. An important photovoltaic central (804 PV panels totalizing 1'271 m2) is installed on the roof. This installation produces almost 224’500 kWh per year that are introduced in the municipal electrical network (Viteos) and corresponds to the electricity consumption of almost 70 households. This solar roof also offers an applied research platform of 84 panels for the Photovoltaics and thin film electronics laboratory (PV-LAB).
Furthermore, the realization of Microcity has played an important role in the realization of an ecological free cooling for several large buildings in the neighborhood - notably Microcity, the Hospital of Pourtalès and the "Centre suisse d'électronique et de microtechnique" (CSEM) - by using the water of the near lake. This installation generates cooling energy savings of almost 2,2 mio of kWh per year, corresponding to the electricity consumption of almost 630 households.
By the integration of these different innovative strategies into the architectural design, Microcity can be considered not only as a sustainable building, but also as an amplifier of sustainability at urban scale.
Architectural visits
An Open Day is organized in Microcity on Saturday May 10 form 10:00 to 17:00. This public event gives the opportunity to discover the new building and the multiple activities of EPFL and Neode. It is also part of the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA) Days of Contemporary Architecture and Engineering.