NextBuild Living Lab

With the NextBuild Living Lab, the ABC Department has become a living laboratory for sustainable innovation

Real-time monitoring, digital twins, and participatory research: launching a unique infrastructure in Italy for designing buildings focused on health, comfort, and the environment

The NextBuild Living Lab is located in the renovated spaces of the ABC Department, on the Leonardo Campus, and forms an integrated research ecosystem.

With the NextBuild Living Lab, the buildings themselves become scientific tools: indoor and outdoor environmental sensors constantly measure air quality, temperature, humidity, space occupancy, and energy consumption.

This data feeds into a digital twin—a virtual replica of the building—which enables advanced simulations to improve comfort, safety, well-being, and sustainability.

“Today, it is no longer enough to design high-performance buildings. We must create spaces that can interact with their users and adapt to their real needs. The NextBuild Living Lab was created for this purpose: to turn users into agents of change, placing them at the center of the design and management of spaces,” said Stefano Capolongo, Director of the ABC Department.

At the heart of the project lies the user experience approach: users are not merely observed but become active participants in the research process. People's everyday behavior generates data that helps improve spaces and promote virtuous habits. For example, if sensors detect high CO₂ levels in a room, a “smart pop-up” system prompts users to ventilate the space.

The UX Lab, located on the first floor, even allows researchers to study the relationship between environment and individuals at a physiological and cognitive level, using biometric devices, smart sensors, and virtual reality. Data collection and visualization take place on an accessible and secure platform, in full compliance with privacy regulations, for the benefit of the entire scientific and professional community.

The NextBuild Living Lab involves over 15 laboratories from the ABCLab system of the Politecnico di Milano, with expertise ranging from 3D surveying to indoor comfort, from ergonomics to digital building management. It is designed not only as a fixed infrastructure: next to Building 15, a modular, mobile unit will also be built to replicate the model in other urban and environmental contexts.

A one-of-a-kind infrastructure in Italy, serving the sustainable transformation of the built environment and reinforcing Politecnico di Milano’s role as a key player in research and innovation for the future of cities.