RebuiLT, or how to rebuild a house sustainably

© RebuiiLT / 2022 EPFL - The Low-Tech Lab in Lausanne has been part of the Unipoly association of EPFL since 2021 and aims to popularize the low-tech approach already found in several other European universities. Its showcase project rebuiLT is one of EFPL's interdisciplinary MAKE projects and seeks to reuse parts of a building being demolished to create a community pavilion in Ecublens. "Low-tech" is a philosophy promoting the application of simple, reusable technologies that can be easily repaired, unlike the "high tech" tendency, which generally suggests hyper-technological solutions to every problem. "The aim of low-tech is to allow a comfortable lifestyle that doesn't make the climate situation any worse," explains Alexis Chanel, a master's student in mechanical engineering and member of the Low-Tech Lab in Lausanne. "It's an approach based on three pillars: the technology has to be useful, simple enough to be accessible, and durable." A classic example of a low-tech technology is a solar oven, but it can also be as simple as changing habits: "We tend to forget that vegetables and fruit can be stored without refrigeration. They just need an appropriate environment: somewhere airy and bright for tomatoes, or dry and dark for potatoes, for instance," explains Alexis. "We can easily reduce the size of our fridges by replacing part of them with racks suitable for different foods - it's what our grandparents did!" The Low-Tech Lab started in September 2021 and already offers semester projects for students who are interested: "One of the projects completed involved using thermoelectric generators, which produce a current when there is a temperature difference between two masses," explains Alexis.