Bengaluru | 6 February 2026: Imagine a real-life Lego building where parts of it can be taken out, swapped or moved around, a building that doesn’t just use fewer resources, but actually produces energy, recycles its own water, stores carbon in its materials and helps cities adapt to a warming climate.

This is the ambition behind a proposed Indo-Swiss “lighthouse project” for sustainable buildings: a real-world demonstrator in Bengaluru that shows how energy, water and materials can work together as one integrated system rather than separate pieces.

But this is not just a futuristic concept. The idea is grounded in a proven model from Switzerland: the Next Evolution in Sustainable Building Technologies (NEST), the modular research and innovation building at the EMPA-Eawag campus.

The NEST is constructed around a permanent central backbone, to which individual research units can be added, removed or swapped in a plug-and-play fashion, allowing technologies to be tested under real-life conditions, not just in a lab. Inside the NEST, new materials, smart energy systems, water solutions and digital building technologies are tested under everyday conditions. The goal is to make sure innovations work in practice before scaling them into mainstream construction. This approach of combining research, industry and real users in one evolving building is what inspires the lighthouse vision for Bengaluru.

Last month, we hosted a roundtable discussion in partnership with the two Swiss public research institutions EMPA and Eawag, where participants from research, philanthropy, sustainable building, climate tech, environmental science, sustainable energy policy, urban planning, real estate, innovation and information technology gathered to explore the possibility of building a “Lighthouse Living Lab”.

What makes the lighthouse special is not just one new idea, but how many different solutions come together in one building, something that rarely happens in practice. To paint a picture, the structure could use biochar concrete, which stores carbon and helps reduce climate impact. Solar panels with local energy storage would allow the building to produce and manage its own clean energy. Water would be treated and reused on site to cut down the need for fresh water. A system could turn nutrients from human urine into fertiliser, connecting the building back to agriculture. Blue-green infrastructure like ponds, trees and green walls would help cool the area, absorb rainwater, and support plants and wildlife. Smart systems using sensors and AI would manage comfort, energy use and overall performance. Together, these features would show how buildings can move from simply using resources to actually producing useful resources.

Why Bengaluru? And Why Now?

Bengaluru is a city where a lot is happening and new ideas can grow quickly. It is a global technology hub, home to leading research institutions, startups and sustainability innovators. At the same time, it faces pressing challenges: water stress, urban heat, rapid construction and the need for climate-resilient growth.

Participants noted that even though green building ideas are around, there are still very few real, full-scale examples that show how they work in practice. There also isn’t enough solid data or clear records to compare results and learn from them. A carefully tracked lighthouse project could help fix this by producing reliable evidence and showing what actually works in real-world conditions.

The project would also deal with some common real-life problems. Often, the people who design a building, the ones who construct it and those who run it later all work separately, which makes coordination hard. Developers may not see enough financial reasons to try new approaches, and many good ideas never grow beyond small trial projects. By building research, startup support and careful performance tracking into the project from the start, the lighthouse could help overcome these roadblocks and make it easier for new solutions to succeed in the real world.

For Switzerland, the project is a chance to link its leading clean technology research groups and applied science institutions with India’s fast-growing cities and innovation scene. For Indian partners, it opens the door to proven technologies, new research partnerships and recognition as early leaders in climate-friendly development.

Governments, companies, universities and startups in both countries could benefit. And if even a few of the solutions tested here are used more widely across India’s huge construction sector, the positive impact on the global climate could be substantial.

In the end, the lighthouse is not just about putting up an impressive building. It’s about bringing the right people together from the very beginning (researchers, startups, investors, builders and government officials) so they can work as a team. It’s also about collecting solid data, building strong partnerships and creating the trust needed to move beyond a few “green” features towards whole buildings and city systems that are better for the climate.

If it works, the Bengaluru lighthouse could change how we think about buildings, not as structures that simply use resources, but as places that actively help repair the planet.

To get in touch with us about the project, write to Dr. Lena Robra ([email protected]) or Sven Jaggi ([email protected]).