Climate Change

EPFL researchers have built a footbridge prototype using reinforced-concrete blocks from walls of a building being renovated. The blocks were cut into individual pieces on site and assembled into a prestressed arch. This project, which marks the first time concrete has been reused in this way, is part of an initiative to substantially shrink the construction industry’s carbon footprint by adopting a circular economy approach. The footbridge will be inaugurated at a ceremony at the Smart Living Lab in Fribourg on 11 October.

EPFL scientists have studied two mechanisms that can help bring oxygen to the depths of a lake – essential for preserving the lake’s ecosystem. The classical deepwater renewal caused by surface cooling during winter is becoming less efficient due to climate change, especially in deep lakes.

Norway experiences dangerous landslides due to its clay-rich soil. For her Master’s thesis in civil engineering at EPFL, Mathilde Metral outlined steps that the country’s geotechnical engineers can take to improve the predictive computer model they’re currently developing. 

In central Europe, the frequency of droughts is increasing because of climate change, but some forests today are having trouble adjusting. Data from a 30-year experiment now reveal how susceptible managed Norway spruce and silver fir forests are to drought. However, silviculture can improve their resilience, i.e. how quickly and effectively they can recover from drought. That is the conclusion drawn by a research team led by WSL, as reported in the journal Global Change Biology.