The Next Evolution in Sustainable Building Technologies (NEST) living lab at Empa in Dübendorf, Switzerland, is a versatile, modular platform to accelerate innovation in the areas of construction, building automation and smart living, as well as the sustainable use of materials, electricity and water.

As such, it provides partners from academia and industry with a real-life open-innovation environment to implement and evaluate their concepts and technologies. Its modular design enables rapid adaptation to emerging research topics and allows for a continuous learning process. The worldwide unique NEST infrastructure currently features six thematic research units, in which people live, work and exercise, making it a highly dynamic living lab. In addition, the NEST WaterHub offers a platform for wastewater research and the EnergyHub connects all units with electrical and thermal storage in a neighbourhood grid.

The DigitalHub adds a virtual layer with a digital twin and an IoT network on top of this physical infrastructure. NEST has over 1000 visitors per month and regularly offers workshops for professionals from the construction and energy industries. Since 2016, NEST has created a strong ecosystem of more than 140 partners.