Sustainable construction and heritage across South and North

The SoNo Lab (South-North Laboratory for Sustainable Construction and Conservation) is an architecture research laboratory at EPFL dedicated to advancing sustainable building practices and heritage conservation through equitable, reciprocal collaboration between the Global South and the Global North. It develops low‑carbon, context‑appropriate, and socially inclusive architectural solutions.

Led by architect and civil engineer Aziza Chaouni, the SoNo Lab is based at the Smart Living Lab. The laboratory conducts applied research at the intersection of architecture, engineering, and environmental sciences, drawing on design, full‑scale prototyping, and experimentation. Its objective is to develop construction and conservation solutions capable of addressing contemporary challenges related to housing, climate, and resource management.

The laboratory’s research focuses in particular on bio‑ and geo‑based materials, local construction techniques, and architectural strategies adapted to the climatic and social contexts of the Global South. Its projects explore low‑carbon construction systems, affordable housing typologies, and the conservation of both modern and vernacular architectural heritage. The work relies on field studies, environmental simulations, and built prototypes.

The SoNo Lab develops its projects in collaboration with universities, cultural institutions, and international partners in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Through research, teaching, and scientific dissemination, the laboratory aims to build knowledge networks between South and North in order to rethink architectural practices in the face of global challenges of sustainability, equity, and resilience.

Contexts in the Global South are laboratories of innovation capable of inspiring new architectural practices on a global scale."

Aziza Chaouni, Head of South-North Laboratory for Sustainable Construction and Conservation