UrbanTwin

EPFL School of Engineering Industry Day
2024-03-14 08:00 - 17:00 UTC

Reimagining Lives
2023-10-19 08:00 - 17:00
Georgios Sarantakos will take part in the following conference in Lausanne:

Reimagining Living: Building within our Planet’s Limits
In a world facing increasing urbanization and environmental challenges, events like “Reimagining Living” provide a platform for rethinking the future of our cities. The question remains: can we rebuild and redefine our cities within the limits of our planet?

“To rebuild doesn’t have to mean to grow and grow and grow. It can also mean to reduce.” – Martina Kühne, PhD
The world is at a crossroads, with cities at the forefront of sustainable development and reimagining what urban life can be. On October 19, 2023, over 100 guests gathered for our event titled “Reimagining Living: Building within our Planet’s Limits.” This event, part of our 20th anniversary series, encouraged attendees to explore radically new ways of living, building, and designing our cities.
Bringing together a diverse range of perspectives from Switzerland and the Bay Area, the event will raise critical questions about the essence of a city and challenged conventional wisdom.
Keynote speakers at the event will offer insights into the future of cities and urban life:

Bruno Lanvin (IMD) shared a Global View on Cities with Inspiring Cases from Around the World, highlighting several key takeaways:

There is more than one way to be “smart.”
Cities can learn from each other.
Cities will lead the global green and digital economy by being human-centric.
Cities and their leadership need to see themselves as shapers of the future.
Talent will be the key to cities’ sustainability and livability.

Vishaan Chakrabarti, FAIA (PAU, UC Berkeley CED), presented a virtual keynote on the Future of Sustainable Cities and the US Perspective. He urged attendees to think about urbanity in a different way, emphasizing that urbanity is not solely about size but is defined by pluralism—a place where people of all backgrounds can connect.

Following these insightful speeches, a panel discussion will discuss the importance of breaking silos and the interconnected nature of politics and our collective future. The panelists included:

Georgios Sarantakos (Urban Twin Project, ETH/EPFL joint initiative) – Gathering Data to Build Better Cities
Marie-Laure (MarLa) Burgener (GreenGoWeb) – Gathering Data to Build Better Cities II
Maria Loizou & Céline Carrière (rebuiLT EPFL)
Margaux Peltier (Enerdrape) – Future of Energy in Cities

In a world facing increasing urbanization and environmental challenges, events like “Reimagining Living” provide a platform for rethinking the future of our cities. As we navigate this pivotal moment in history, the question remains: can we rebuild and redefine our cities within the limits of our planet? The event encouraged attendees to explore this question and more, offering hope and inspiration for a sustainable urban future.
The event will take place thanks to collaborative efforts of organizations such as FUSTIC, EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne), Enterprise for Society Center (E4S), and kühne wicki / Future Stuff. Innovaud sponsor the event, and it receives support from the ECAL University of Art and Design Lausanne, Future City Alliance (SmartCity Alliance & CityZen), and Innovation Booster Swiss Smart Cities.

EcoCloud Annual Event
2023-10-10 08:00 - 17:00
Prof. David Atienza, who is also Director of the EcoCloud Center, will present the Heating Bits project at the center’s annual event:
UrbanTwin: An urban digital twin for climate action – Assessing policies and solutions for energy, water and infrastructure

The 4th CLIMACT Seminar
2023-10-02 00:00 - 13:15
The 4th CLIMACT seminar series will start on Monday 2 October, 12:00-13:15, on Zoom.

Elise Buckle, CEO of Climate & Sustainability and co-founder of SHE Changes Climate, will be the first guest speaker. The focus of this seminar will be on the role of gender equity, empowerment and partnerships in the fight against climate change.

Digital Twins – Challenges and Opportunities
2023-09-14 08:00 - 12:00
The CISBAT Workshop 2023 will take place at the SwissTech building of the EPFL campus.
Georgios Sarantakos will present UrbanTwin at 11h10 – full program available below.
The workshop on digital twins of buildings and cities will offer a unique opportunity for scientists and urbanists to explore the potential of digital twins in transforming the way we design, operate, and manage buildings and cities.
Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical assets, systems, or processes that simulate and predict their performance, behavior, and interactions in real-time. Participants will gain insights into the latest advancements in digital twin technology and their practical applications in areas such as energy efficiency, sustainability, and resilience. The workshop will also examine the challenges and limits of digital twin technology, drawing on concrete examples to encourage participants to think creatively and collaboratively about potential solutions and strategies.
Agenda
10h45 – 11h10 Academic Presentation on the topic of Digital Twin, from the Resilient Steel Structures Laboratory (RESSLab) of Prof. Dimitrios Lignos: Dr. Nenad Bijelic.
11h10 – 11h35 Presentation of the URBANTWIN research program: Georgios Sarantakos.
11h35 – 12h00 Pix4D Presentation: Dr. Martin Rehak, Head of Geospatial Products.
12h00 – 12h30 Roundtable:
Dr. Nenad Bijelic, EPFL, Lab of Dimitrios Lignos
Georgios Sarantakos, URBANTWIN
Dr. Christoph Strecha, Pix4D CEO
Moderation by Dr. Jan Kerschgens, Executive Director EPFL Center for Intelligent Systems (CIS).

EPFL Workshop on the Evolution of Electricity Markets
2023-09-11 08:00 - 17:00 | Room ELA 2, EPFL Main Campus, Ecublens, Switzerland
The EPFL Workshop on the Evolution of Electricity Markets will take place on Monday, September 11th on the EPFL Ecublens campus. The goal of the workshop is to bring together academic scientists, public authorities, and industrial players to address the technical, economic, and regulatory challenges of the integration of renewable energy resources into the power grid and to generate exchange and potential collaboration ideas around the addressed topic. If you are interested in attending, please register here. Space is limited and attendance is first-come, first-serve.
