How the Bluefactory innovation district and the new Smart Living Lab plug-and-test facility will look by 2026.

The bluefactory innovation district is a real hive of activity. Created in 2014 on the site of the former Cardinal brewery in downtown Fribourg, bluefactory has recently embarked on the first phase of its ambitious three-part development plan, which will take to two decades to complete. Work is already underway on the construction of ‘building B’ and the new purpose-built Smart Living Lab facility. Once completed at the end of 2023 and in 2026 respectively, the two sites will cover a surface area of 13,400 m². The second phase will focus on the rehabilitation of two listed buildings: the grain silo and the ‘Gray Hall’, Cardinal’s former bottling hall.

As Philippe Jemmely, the bluefactory Director, explains, “building B will be planned, built, and operated using the BIM (Building Information Modeling) method. Once finished, it will boast a new 700 m² prototyping space and should eventually double the on-site workforce.” The Smart Living Lab facility will provide workspaces and research infrastructure for 130 scientists from EPFL, the Fribourg School of Engineering and Architecture, and the University of Fribourg. “It really will be a fully modular, scalable living laboratory.”

Exemplary water management

Ambitious sustainability and circular economy principles underpin the entire project. Take water management, for example. Given that the project plans to reuse existing facilities as far as possible, the on-site reservoir will collect and store excess rainwater, as well as water from the Les Pillettes spring, which was once used to make Cardinal beer. Wastewater will also be harvested and treated on site using innovative biological processes like phytoremediation. Once cleaned, this water will be used to supply the sanitary facilities, irrigate the vegetation and clean public areas. As for brown and yellow water, these will be converted into natural fertilizers. Project Manager, Virginie Dulucq, is excited about the opportunities that this approach has opened up for the innovation district, “bluefactory is part of the VunaNexus experimental program with the European Space Agency to transform urine into fertilizer.”

This exemplary approach to water management, known as ‘Sponge City’, coupled with the use of local and natural resources, urban renaturing and energy self-sufficiency, will equip the bluefactory ecosystem to cope with the challenges of climate change while preserving user comfort and well-being. According to Communication Manager Véronique Grady, “We don’t just want to welcome innovative companies. We want to be innovative too, and break new ground.”