Laloui Research Group in an article by AGEFI
© 2021 EPFL
Green building energetics occupied a central role during the Rent fair, a melting pot of Swiss real estate professionals and stakeholders, during which, start-ups of the LMS as well as its director, Prof. Lyesse Laloui made a distinguished appearance. An article, by Christian Affolter, on startups and building energetics was dedicated to covering the highlights of the event in the latest edition of AGEFI.
The tendencies in favor of cleaner energy in the real-estate sector are always rising. The use of heat opens up opportunities explored by Geoeg and Enerdrape, both born and nursed within the Laloui Research Group (LMS). The first company, Geoeg, proposes the installation of recirculation tubes in foundations or infrastructures, in order to exploit the quasi-constant temperature of the underground, enabling both heating and cooling, with more than 45% reduction in CO2 emissions. Enerdrape on the other hand, proposes to install panels to capture geothermal energy even in existing buildings. These innovations are all the more essential given that current renovation methods have capacity limits in the face of the scale of the challenge, as highlighted by the professor at EPFL and director of the Civil Engineering section, Lyesse Laloui.
Doing more renovations with current technologies would require 300’000 additional skilled workers. We cannot mobilize such a workforce. We have to innovate
Nevertheless, the statistical data presented by Prof. Laloui show that Switzerland needs to catch up. With more than two thirds of its real estate constructions built before 1990, heating still generates more CO2 emissions per inhabitant per year in Switzerland than in other European countries.