The Biopôle life sciences campus played a key role in helping the commune of Épalinges secure first prize in the Minergie-Rating 2025 for mid-sized municipalities. The national award, announced on 4 December, recognises Swiss towns and cities that are leading the way in energy-efficient building and climate-conscious development.
A standout feature of Épalinges’ sustainability strategy is the Biopôle campus, where the majority of buildings are certified to the Minergie standard—a Swiss benchmark for low-energy construction. The newest buildings, south of the campus even meet the Minergie-P-ECO label, among the most demanding in terms of energy performance and ecological quality. Between 2015 and 2025, Biopôle has grown from six to thirteen buildings, now spanning more than 91,000 m² dedicated to research and innovation, making it one of the largest life sciences hubs in Europe.
The jury praised the coherence and continuity of the commune’s energy policy, underpinned by both private developments like Biopôle and recent public projects—over 10,000 m² of communal buildings have also been constructed or renovated to Minergie-P standards.
“Épalinges illustrates perfectly how a municipality can embed sustainability into a structured and consistent long-term vision,” said Olivier Meile, Director of the Minergie agency for French-speaking Switzerland, at the award ceremony.
