03/11/2025
Sabancı Business School hosted Reto Largo, director of EMPA NEST. Largo visited the campus and then gave a presentation on the key points for achieving sustainability goals.
Stress: A Key Factor
During the campus tour, which began at Sabancı Business School, NEST director Reto Largo visited SUCOOL. Following the tour, Largo gave a well-attended speech at Sabancı Business School. The main theme of his presentation was stress, which he believes is a key factor in advancing sustainability, and he also explained how the construction sector can be rescued.
Reto Largo touched on the activities of the Federal Technology Laboratories (EMPA/FL), part of the Swiss Federal Research Entities (SW Federal Research Entities). He stated that these laboratories focus on key areas such as material environmental performance, energy resources, and innovation research. Largo listed collaborations, skills, and the ability to work with companies as the most important elements of sustainability success.
NEST, a Swiss-based company operating under EMPA, functions as a modular, experimental entity designed to test sustainable construction and living technologies. Reto Largo said that they established an experimental construction office to this end, even demonstrating failures.
“Innovation goes hand in hand with challenges”
In his presentation at Sabancı University, Reto Largo also highlighted the challenges in the construction industry. He cited examples where all components of small buildings can be easily reset and high-quality materials are easily manufactured during the design and production processes. Largo stated that innovation goes hand in hand with challenges and requires taking risks.
