Light, heat and snow in Davos
© 2012 EPFL
The first edition of a new Semaine ENAC offer entitled “Sustainable Development of city and landscape of DAVOS” took place at the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) in Davos Dorf, Switzerland. Prof. Marilyne Andersen and PhD Candidate Parag Rastogi from LIPID were amongst the six instructors taking part in this hands-on, project-based class for second year students from the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC).
The class is part of the ENAC-wide program known as ‘Semaine ENAC’ (ENAC week), which exposes students to new concepts and applications in a collaborative environment amongst the three ENAC disciplines. The theme of this week was renewable energy and sustainable construction in Davos. The team of instructors, coordinated by Prof. Michael Lehning from the CRYOS laboratory, exploited the learning potential of hands-on experimentation and goal-oriented research and analysis to sensitize the students to engineering challenges for sustainability in an alpine environment. Marilyne Andersen and Parag Rastogi discussed such diverse concepts as building thermal loads, daylight design, visual and thermal comfort, and the use of solar energy in buildings and for electricity production, among others. The context was set with experiments carried out by the students in the facilities of the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), which hosted the students of this ENAC week. The unique location of this project helped the students to think out of the proverbial box, as they had to contend with challenges related to construction in an environment that is hostile to machinery and habitation for large portions of the year. The influence and effects of snow on other parameters was a major topic handled in all projects. The week took place between April 30 and May 04.