"The smart living lab is at a pivotal moment in its development"

EPFL's smart living lab, located on the Fribourg campus, is at a pivotal moment in its development. Martin Gonzenbach, the lab's new director of operations, tells us why. Martin Gonzenbach has just been appointed the director of operations at EPFL Fribourg's smart living lab, a research center focused on technology for sustainable housing. Gonzenbach holds a Master's in physics from EPFL and a post-graduate degree in mathematical engineering from Ecole Polytechnique de Paris. He worked for a Zurich-based startup, a small business and a multinational before taking a position with the Canton of Vaud to help implement digital processes in public services. In 2015, Gonzenbach joined EPFL as an industry liaison officer and innovation advisor at ENAC. How has the smart living lab evolved since it was created in 2014? The lab emerged out of a joint initiative by the Canton of Fribourg and EPFL to build a research center on an abandoned industrial site that was converted into an innovation park. My predecessor Anne-Claude Cosandey spearheaded the project. What made the idea unique and so successful is that it brought the University of Fribourg and the Fribourg School of Engineering and Architecture together on EPFL's Fribourg site. ENAC also played an important role in getting the lab off the ground. Since it's been open, four EPFL chairs have been created in the lab, and these positions are held by leading international figures. The lab plays an important role in building ties between the local and international scientific communities. And the Swiss team's victory at the 2017 Solar Decathlon really helped put the smart living lab on the map. The winning pavilion, called NeighborHub, has been installed permanently at our blueFactory site. What are your plans for the lab going forward?