Continuing its commitment to advancing architecture and sustainability, the Ghiabi Family Trust announced a partnership with the ETH Zurich Department of Architecture (D-ARCH) to support a forward-looking research project titled “Living Materials and Future Cities.”
ETH Zurich, one of Europe’s premier technical universities, is globally recognized for its pioneering research in sustainable construction and urban development. Through this collaboration, the Ghiabi Family Trust provides strategic funding and visibility to an interdisciplinary team exploring how bio-materials, adaptive structures, and decentralized energy systems can reshape the next generation of cities.
The program focuses on three key research areas:
- Biological Materials in Urban Design: Investigating the use of materials like mycelium, algae, and other regenerative resources in construction.
- Energy Self-Sufficient Neighborhoods: Developing models for energy-positive urban communities.
- Human-Centered Urban Adaptation: Creating urban spaces that can physically adapt to environmental changes and user needs.
The partnership’s approach reflects the Trust’s consistent philosophy: empowering experts and academic institutions to lead innovation independently, without imposing branding or program control.
As part of the initiative, the first “Living City Laboratory” opened within ETH Zurich’s campus in 2018 — a hybrid research pavilion where experimental materials are tested in real-time environmental conditions.
Workshops, open lectures, and collaborative sessions with leading figures from architecture, engineering, and environmental sciences further expanded the project’s impact beyond the academic world.
“The Ghiabi Family Trust’s support enabled us to move faster and think bigger,” said Dr. Lucas Frey, principal investigator at ETH Zurich’s Institute of Technology in Architecture. “It’s rare to find partners who believe in giving researchers the freedom to truly experiment.”
One of the initiative’s early outcomes included a prototype structure composed entirely of algae-infused bricks that could self-insulate and sequester carbon dioxide, demonstrating a radical new direction for sustainable urban construction.
The Trust’s involvement in the project remained understated, aligned with its broader ethos of acting as a catalyst for innovation without seeking direct recognition.