ETH News

ETH Zurich researchers have developed a fast, robot-assisted printing process for earth materials that does not require cement.

Cathodic corrosion protection is a widely used technique for protecting steel-based infrastructure from corrosion. ETH researchers have now clarified the detailed mechanisms involved, thereby resolving a controversial issue that had preoccupied the engineering community for decades.

Renovating buildings to improve their energy efficiency is a crucial step towards Switzerland achieving its climate targets. ETH Zurich researchers can now reveal the most effective renovation strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions: replace fossil-fuel heating systems and harness the potential of bio-based building materials like straw and hemp.

At ETH Zurich, there is a room where the sun shines at the touch of a button; one hour it’s noon in the Sahara, the next it’s January in Berlin. Researchers use it to test newly developed building systems, components and materials.

Two years ago, Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine. One direct consequence of the conflict is the destruction of buildings and infrastructure. Now an exhibition in the ETH Main Building entitled “ETH with Ukraine” is showing how buildings, facilities and the environment in Ukraine can be protected or restored.

ETH researchers are developing a low-carbon cement with a significantly lower embodied CO₂ content than traditional cement. The Ultra Green Concrete project aims to make low-carbon, high-performance concrete widely accessible.

In a practical teaching project, ETH students used materials from the demolished Huber Pavilions to construct a building in the spirit of the circular economy. The Re-Use Pavilion on the ETH Hönggerberg campus has now been honoured with an Arc Award.

Timber construction is undergoing a renaissance in Switzerland. ETH researchers at the Hönggerberg campus are using a fire simulator to test timber components for the construction of buildings of all sizes. The custom-built oven permits simulations of realistic fire scenarios.

Solar façade panels developed by the group working under ETH Professor Arno Schlüter follow the sun’s position in the sky and in this way harvest more energy. The technology has now been awarded the Watt D’Or Energy Prize.

Ukrainian building materials professor Viacheslav Troian left his homeland with his family because of the war. At ETH Zurich, he is researching the role that recycled concrete might play in future reconstruction.

With the help of artificial intelligence, an international research team led by ETH Zurich has explored the Moon’s permanently shadowed regions. The information they have obtained about the area’s surface properties will help to identify suitable locations for future lunar missions.

This weekend, students from ETH Zurich won the sustainability prize at the 18^th concrete canoe regatta in Brandenburg with their boat "TruchETH". The aspiring civil engineers impressed with an environmentally friendly boat for which they combined old clothes with concrete.

European scientists with the participation of the Swiss Seismological Service at ETH Zurich have published an updated earthquake hazard map and, for the first time, an earthquake risk map for Europe. Switzerland will follow suit next year with a higher resolution national risk map.

Catherine De Wolf firmly believes that digitalisation can help shift the construction industry towards a more circular economy. The assistant professor and her research group recently completed a hands-on project to illustrate how this could work.  

Climate change, pandemics and cyber attacks are risks that have long been in the public spotlight. But there are also risks that ETH researchers consider are still being given too little attention. Photographer Tina Sturzenegger has captured the scenarios on film.

Sounds provide important information about how well a machine is running. ETH researchers have now developed a new machine learning method that automatically detects whether a machine is "healthy" or requires maintenance.

Swissloop Tunneling, a team of students from ETH Zurich and other universities, has won second place in a tunnelling competition hosted by Elon Musk in Las Vegas. Their tunnelling machine has also won the Innovation & Design Award.

The 23-metre-high tower made of 3D-printed columns is to become a cultural site in Mulegns, a village on the Julier Pass with just 16 inhabitants. The structure is being planned by ETH architects and engineers. Construction is scheduled to start in spring 2022 with robots printing the tower’s components on site.

The most capable geotechnical research centrifuge in Europe is currently being built on the Hönggerberg campus. It will enable researchers to simulate geotechnical structures, such as foundations, dams and tunnels, and the effects of natural hazards, such as earthquakes, landslides, flooding and tsunamis. The centrifuge itself was installed on Wednesday with meticulous precision.

An 80-metre-high skyscraper made of wood is soon to be built in Zug. A pioneering project for which basic research is being carried out in the construction hall on the Hönggerberg.

An extraordinary year is drawing to a close. ETH News takes a look back at the highlights that emerged amidst difficult and unsettling times, at ingenious ideas, fascinating science and solidarity in action during – and despite – the coronavirus pandemic.

Olga Fink develops artificial intelligence algorithms for industrial assets, rolling stock and power plants. The 37-year-old researcher's goal is to predict rare events before they even occur. By doing so, she improves the reliability and service life of complex industrial assets.

Researchers are looking into new materials to lay the foundations for living structures that respond to their environment. They aim to create self-sustaining infrastructures that can monitor their condition and even repair themselves.

The year 2019 has certainly been a busy one at ETH. A new president took office and the second Sci-Tech Oscar was awarded, along with other major prizes, but there were also plenty of inventions and topics for discussion.

Today’s new buildings could easily last until 2050 and beyond. That's why we now need binding climate targets in the construction sector, argues Guillaume Habert. 

Researchers from ETH Zurich, Empa and the University of Stuttgart have developed a new technique involving a controlled drying process that makes wooden panels bend into a pre-set shape without the use of any mechanical force. 

In the second round of ETH+, the Executive Board’s funding instrument for new research ideas and exchange between disciplines and departments, five new initiatives were selected. These address a range of topics, from living materials to quantum science.

ETH researchers have succeeded in elucidating how and at what rate steel corrodes in a variety of porous materials. Their findings help enable the breakthrough of new, environmentally friendly types of cement.

He grew up in a clay house in West Africa. With his ETH spin-off Oxara, Gnanli Landrou is now developing a cement-free concrete made from clay-based excavation material. His goal is to help Africa and the rest of the world build affordable, sustainable houses.

ETH technology that flew to Mars, rubber duckies that travelled around Duckietown in self-driving taxis and moles that warn of tumours – for ETH, 2018 was marked by innovative flair and extraordinary research. We take a look back.

The Omleth platform helps lecturers to plan and implement outdoor learning courses. It is one of 25 projects to be presented at the first Learning and Teaching Fair at ETH Zurich.

ETH Emeritus Professor Christian Menn has died. The bridges designed by the world-renowned, award-winning Swiss engineer have become famous landmarks.

For the first time, ETH Zurich invited the 100 best school girls from the Mathematical Kangaroo competition.

ETH researchers have identified a rock glacier in canton Valais that is degrading and moving very quickly. Fortunately, it does not present an immediate threat to people and infrastructure.

Earth is an ideal building material: it’s low-cost, saves resources and regulates indoor climates. What's more, earth is readily available in the places where people build. Yet the construction potential of earth remains undervalued.

An international team of scientists has created a new database of molecular dynamics models that simulate the properties of cement in all its varieties. It’s intended to help fine-tune this component of concrete and curtail emissions in its manufacturing process.

Branco Weiss fellow Gabriele Manoli wants to enrich urban research with quantitative models and establish a new science dedicated to creating green cities. He has found the ideal location for this: Zurich.

Will the reinforced concrete bridge still be standing for years to come, or has corrosion already set in? ETH scientists have discovered that previous concrete samples were too small to allow a reliable statement on the condition of reinforced concrete.

Researchers at ETH Zurich’s Department of Architecture (D-ARCH) have developed a concrete floor system that does not require steel reinforcement and is 70 percent lighter than conventional concrete floors. Their design was inspired by historical construction principles.

The rapid transport of people and goods is both a growing demand as well as an economic necessity. The price we pay for it is an ever-increasing volume of traffic. When it comes to tackling this dilemma in the future, it’s worth taking a look at the past.

Upon application of ETH President Lino Guzzella the ETH Board appointed a total of eight professors and awarded the title of professor to one individual.

No tunnel without science: the Gotthard Base Tunnel will be opened officially this weekend. The world’s longest railway tunnel relied on the expertise of dozens of ETH alumni and numerous ETH researchers.

Swiss construction group Implenia will be involved in establishing a new assistant professorship for innovative and industrial construction at ETH Zurich. In an interview with ETH News, Implenia CEO Anton Affentranger explains why his company is offering its financial backing and highlights why clear rules and transparency are so important when it comes to research funding.

Planungshorizonte, wie sie die Schweiz fürs Klima und die Endlagerung radioaktiver Abfälle festlegt, sind so langfristig, dass sie heute zu wenig bewegen und langfristig die Zielerreichung in Frage stellen. Dabei wären in beiden Fällen fast alle technischen Lösungen vorhanden. Warum sind die Zeitpläne bei der Endlagerung und dem Klimaschutz so wenig ambitiös?

Building with less cement is the ambitious goal of Guillaume Habert, professor of sustainable construction at ETH Zurich. But there are many hurdles to overcome.

On 2^nd June 2015, ETH Zurich House of Natural Resources (HoNR) opened in ETH Hönggerberg Campus. The event highlights not only the inauguration of a new building but the showcase of a new milestone in sustainable construction.

Today, building envelopes tend to be static and unable to adapt to changing conditions. Now, for the first time, an adaptable façade has been used for the newly inaugurated House of Natural Resources (HoNR) that produces electricity and regulates light and heat generation.

The House of Natural Resources (HoNR) is a flagship project for a hardwood building. Today marked the inauguration of the office building on ETH’s Hönggerberg campus after 18 months of construction. It is an exciting development for researchers at ETH Zurich as the building will serve as a research laboratory for sustainable construction.

Teaching at ETH Zurich is breaking new ground: in one teaching project, students are solving real tasks – and those tasks are set by businesses, not by the university. Another project looks at how lively debate can help participants to develop solid arguments.

Teaching at ETH Zurich is breaking new ground: in one teaching project, students are solving real tasks – and those tasks are set by businesses, not by the university. Another project looks at how lively debate can help participants to develop solid arguments.

A training centre, not a games room: students and SBB trainees alike learn their trade in the ETH railway operations laboratory.

The ETH Board confirmed today that Sarah Springman, Professor of Geotechnical Engineering, is to become the new Rector of ETH Zurich. Alongside Lino Guzzella, who will move from the office of Rector to the Presidency, Springman will help shape the future of ETH Zurich as part of the Executive Board from January 2015.

After a construction phase of some six years, the 9.6 kilometre cross-city link (Durchmesserlinie) and Löwenstrasse station will open tomorrow in Zurich. ETH News spoke to rail transport expert Ulrich Alois Weidmann, professor of transport systems at the Institute for Transport Planning and Systems, about the changes the new route will bring.

Do future civil engineers at ETH Zurich really learn what they will need in their working lives? And what will their training look like in future? A panel with representatives of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering and industry discussed these topics.

The Swiss are a nation of tunnel constructors. With its book Tunnelling Switzerland, the Swiss Tunnelling Society sets out a comprehensive record of Swiss tunnel construction described in more than 90 projects.