Contribution to the Sun Shines on Architecture exhibition
Habitat symbiotique © EPFL / LAST
The “Sun Shines on Architecture” exhibition is developed by Archizoom, as part of the Solar Biennale organized by the MUDAC - Cantonal Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts. On this occasion, the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) presents elements relating to the SYMBIOTIC HOUSING research project. The exhibition, which runs until June 21, 2025 in the Archizoom gallery, invites a wide public to immerse themselves in the many issues involved in integrating solar issues into architecture.
Capturing, filtering, reflecting or protecting: the interactions of the sun with architecture and with our territories are many and varied. The sun is at once a source of precious energy, of unwanted heat, and of light. In the face of global warming, these technical and poetic challenges are getting a real update : they are illustrated in the exhibition by work from EPFL laboratories, a cartography of contemporary Swiss solar buildings and the resurgence of historical examples.
In that respect, the SYMBIOTIC HOUSING research project aims – between sobriety, efficiency and circularity – to go beyond current practices by developing a new low-carbon housing system. Based primarily on bio-sourced materials, its innovative approach makes the most of local resources, endogenous know-how and short cycles. The project also adopts a holistic approach to solar gain, including the integration of photovoltaic cells into the building envelope (BIPV) and installing aquaponic greenhouses on the roof.