Beini Ma’s research explores the environmental, physiological and behavioural mechanisms at play in complex urban waterfronts. The case studies are Shichahai in Beijing and Parco del Valentino in Turin.

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Starting from the widespread presence of ground-mounted photovoltaic plants in Italy, the study explores how decommissioning and revamping processes can become an opportunity to rethink the relationship between energy production, landscape, and agricultural systems. Through territorial analyses, GIS-based tools, and design experiments developed in different Italian contexts, the research proposes strategies and spatial models aimed at transforming existing photovoltaic fields into next-generation “solarscapes”, integrating energy production with ecological and landscape objectives.

The work is the result of a multidisciplinary collaboration between research teams from the Politecnico di Torino, the Politecnico di Milano, and the Università di Torino, combining expertise in architecture, landscape design, and agronomy to develop tools and visions that can support future policies and practices for the transformation of energy landscapes.

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The project, coordinated by Elena Vigliocco (Politecnico di Torino), involved three research units:

Politecnico di Torino (RU1),

Politecnico di Milano (RU2),

Università  di Torino (RU3).

The research addressed the regeneration of ground-based photovoltaic fields at the end of their life cycle, not as an energy issue but as an opportunity to rethink urban morphologies and productive landscapes in Italy. The architectural, territorial, landscape, and agronomic dimensions of existing energy infrastructures are the core of the project, exploring strategies for decommissioning, revamping, and reuse within a broader framework of ecological transition and design innovation.

All three research units will participate in the event, promoting involvement for those interested in the topic; and engaging in a discussion of the project’s outcomes, future perspectives, and implications for planning and designing energy landscapes.

The event will also be an occasion to present the book:

Designing Forms for Future Solarscapes. A Vision for the Italian Palimpsest, Elena Vigliocco (edited by), 2025, LetteraVentidue.

The volume shows the scientific, cartographic, and design outcomes of the research, offering both a theoretical and operational reflection on Italian solar landscapes. It includes comparative atlases and a series of design scenarios developed for the reconfiguration of end-of-life photovoltaic fields in three selected case studies.

The book is available in open access at this link.

A second presentation of the PRIN research results and the volume will take place on:

Tuesday, 3 March, 2:30 p.m.

Department of Architecture and Urban Studies

Sala consiglio, Edificio 29 “Carta”, Politecnico di Milano – Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 26, Milano

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Developed between September 2025 and February 2026 by more than 50 international students of the Master of Science in Architecture for Sustainability (MASt), the design studio approached the Bormida as an environmental and social infrastructure capable of connecting landscapes, communities and productive practices. The river was observed not only in its physical and biological dimensions, but also as an archive of memories and as a possible structural framework for new forms of inhabiting, production and (not only human) use of the territory.

Through maps, drawings, models and installations, the exhibition presents the outcomes of research and design proposals that explore the relationships between water and communities, landscape and territorial infrastructures, highlighting often latent potentials and offering a reading of the river as a shared space of design.

The inaugural event will be held on Saturday, 21 February 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the Silk Museum of the former Monesiglio Spinning Mill and represents the final stage of a research and project that lasted almost five months, involving over 50 students from 21 countries.

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Air pollution was the first environmental phenomenon to emerge as a public issue to be addressed politically and legislatively as early as the middle of the last century. It therefore plays a key role in the complex relationship between anthropogenic transformations of the environment, the environment itself, and our awareness of our role as humans.
Even today, different interests converge and clash around air pollution and, in particular, around the issue of air quality, giving rise to complex political dynamics that directly involve citizens, as well as technological devices, scientific practices and institutions.

Air pollution is therefore an area in which to observe and experiment with ways of monitoring, managing and transforming our environment and our daily practices that may have broader relevance than the issues raised by climate change. This is also because air pollution has complex relationships with the dynamics of climate change and, in particular, global warming.

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Through a teaching program about air quality, developed with high school teachers and the National Association of Science Teachers, students learn about sensor technology, environmental science and the health impacts of pollutants. Students collaborate in collecting data on particulate matter, temperature and monitoring their perceptions, validating air dispersion models and exploring how environmental conditions affect their well-being. By not just observing, but inviting those involved to assemble, measure, analyse and represent, the SCoolAir programme builds a replicable educational model that strengthens the links between schools and universities.

SCoolAir is a project conducted within the framework of the European call HE Impetus.

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A second training module entitled ‘Protecting the Future’, organised by PoliTO per il Sociale, will illustrate theories and practices on the themes of participation and co-design.

The addressees of the initiative are young administrators, under 35 or newly appointed, and young people under 29, in order to approach active citizenship paths by reducing the gap between politics and institutions, addressing topics that aim to increase passion for the common good, public commitment, value ethics and aimed at deepening topical issues.

At the end of the cycle, FULL issues a report to summarise the themes and methods of the initiative, a charter of intentions with the motions expressed by the course participants to be submitted to the administration, and the four-episode podcast ‘Zeta’.

Course program

March 21, 2025 – Visions for a fairer future

• At OGR
• Loris Servillo, Mauro Fontana, Erica Mangione, Manuela Ronci – Polytechnic University of Turin/FULL
Presentation of the course program and objectives.
Lecture on the challenges of planning and managing contemporary cities and the importance of thinking about the city of the future in the context of the “just city,” in line with SDG 11 of the UN Agenda: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.”

March 28, 2025 – Regeneration of urban spaces & community spaces

• Presso Scuola primaria “G. Parini” – Corso Giulio Cesare 26
• Cristiana Rossignolo – Politecnico di Torino, Monica Postiglione e Anna Pratt – esperte della materia
Spazi di comunità come hub ibridi sociali-culturali.
• At the “G. Parini” Primary School – Corso Giulio Cesare 26
• Cristiana Rossignolo – Turin Polytechnic, Monica Postiglione and Anna Pratt – experts in the field
Community spaces as hybrid social-cultural hubs.
The presentation will explore the role of urban regeneration of common goods in Italy, analyzing approaches, policies, and tools available to cities and citizens. We will start from the experience of community spaces as cultural hubs, highlighting their impact on urban dynamics and social and institutional innovations. Within this framework, we will present the results of the SPAZI DI COMUNITÀ (COMMUNITY SPACES) research project, carried out in 2024 by NUVAP (Nucleo di Valutazione e Analisi per la Programmazione, Evaluation and Analysis Unit for Planning) at the Department for Territorial Cohesion of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, as part of the SI.VALUTA project. The research analyzed these practices at the national level, with a focus on significant experiences in the Turin area.

April 11, 2025 – Space justice and social justice in the transition towards fairer roads.

• At the Mollino Room of the Valentino Castle
• Gabriele D’Adda and Elisa Vitale – Polytechnic University of Turin/FULL
Reflections, starting from the “Just Streets” project, on spatial justice and social justice in the context of the transition to active and sustainable mobility and the creation of fairer streets. In order to make the transition from car-dominated streets to public spaces characterized by active mobility and a variety of uses, it is essential not only to take into account but also to prioritize the needs and visions of social groups that are often underrepresented in urban planning. A “critical walk” is planned in the pedestrianized area of San Salvario.

May 9, 2025 – Green/blue infrastructure and the environmental transition

• At OGR
• Manuela Ronci and Tymon Wolender – Polytechnic University of Turin/FULL
Strategic planning in river environments
The first part of the meeting will take the form of a lecture and will consist of a theoretical introduction, an overview of the evolution of the main planning approaches, and an in-depth analysis of international case studies, characterized by different focuses and scales of intervention.
The second part of the afternoon will be dedicated to workshop activities. Starting from a reflection on key issues in the transformation of urban river areas, related to the content of the lecture and applicable to the context of Turin, the workshop will aim to identify areas with regenerative potential and to develop macro-objectives/strategies/actions that could potentially be applied in the river areas of the city of Turin.

May 23, 2025 – Digital infrastructure

• At OGR and the nearby Energy Center
• Maria Ferrara – Polytechnic University of Turin/FULL/EST@EnergyCenter team
Digital Twin and climate city contract
The meeting aims to outline the potential offered by digital twins on an urban scale to support the design, implementation, and monitoring of sustainability policies for cities. In this regard, the European context will be analyzed, and in particular the response of pilot cities to the EU Mission “Climate Neutral and Smart Cities,” including the City of Turin. The meeting will conclude at the Decision Theater of the Energy Center of the Polytechnic University of Turin, with a demonstration of the current capabilities of the digital platform under development to support the drafting and monitoring of the Climate City Contract of the City of Turin, outlining its potential for further development and replicability in other urban contexts.

June 6, 2025 – Intangible culture – data and citizen science

• At Officine Creative (Cecchi Point)
• Sofia Fellini and Tommaso Listo, Polytechnic University of Turin/FULL
Data and citizen science
The meeting will be structured as follows: 1) a theoretical lesson on citizen science as a practice of knowledge construction and exchange between the public and institutions; 2) a visit to La Biblioteca dell’Aria, a citizen science project based at Officine Creative; 3) a workshop activity, in which participants will be asked to work in small groups and propose a possible citizen science project on issues relevant to their local areas, to be discussed collectively.

June 13, 2025 – Young people and public engagement

• At OGR
• Loris Servillo, Mauro Fontana, Erica Mangione, Manuela Ronci – Politecnico di Torino/FULL
Final lesson in which participants are guided through a review of the course content, with the aim of presenting their images of the city of the future through two in-person activities:
• Drafting a letter of intent to be presented to the City of Turin
• The creation of an informative podcast together with a radio communication expert

PROTECTING THE FUTURE – curated by PoliTO for Social Issues

June 19, 2025 – Theories and practices on participation and co-design
• At Castello del Valentino or online

June 26, 2025 – Practical workshop on participation and co-design
• At Valentino Castle

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By combining architectural, geospatial, landscape, and agronomic approaches, Next Generation Solar Landscapes seeks to redefine the relationship between energy production, land use, and landscape design. The research embraces a multidisciplinary team of three Research Unit.

• Politecnico di Torino (RU1), coordinated by Prof. Elena Vigliocco, with a team composed of architects, urban designers, and geomatics experts, is the lead unit of the project that has guided and developed the methodological and design framework of the research. Based on GIS-based mapping, spatial analysis, and morphological interpretation of photovoltaic landscapes, the team developed all the design strategies and transformation scenarios of the three selected case studies.
• Politecnico di Milano (RU2), coordinated by Prof. Sara Protasoni, contributes the perspective of landscape architecture, focusing on revamping, decommissioning and renaturalization design strategies and “what if” scenarios
• • Università degli Studi di Torino (RU3), coordinated by Prof. Amedeo Reyneri di Lagnasco, brings the expertise of agronomy and environmental sciences, addressing the ecological and productive impacts of land affected by ground-based photovoltaic installations.

The project is articulated into three main Work Packages (WP):

• WP1 – Photovoltaic landscapes and successful regeneration initiatives: a national-scale mapping and statistical analysis of ground-based photovoltaic fields, aimed at identifying spatial distribution, density, and typological characteristics of photovoltaic fields in each Italian region, providing a systematic overview of their territorial footprint;
• WP2 – Photovoltaic landscapes mapping and testing: a multiscalar and comparative mapping of three high-density and emblematic photovoltaic territories Brindisi (Puglia), Ravenna (Emilia Romagna), and Cuneo (Piedmont). Each case study explores site-specific design hypotheses for decommissioning, revamping or ecological reuse.
• WP3 – Regeneration solar landscapes Toolkit: a development of a Good Practice Toolkit providing design guidelines and operative frameworks for the spatial renewal of end-of-life photovoltaic fields, supporting public administrations, plannes and designers in managing the energy landscape transition.

Methodologically, the research integrates digital geo-information tools, GIS-based tools, morphological analysis, and design-based approach. Starting from the interpretation of the spatial structure of photovoltaic fields, the team developed a multi-scalar and multi-layered analytical and comparative matrix combining quantitative data with qualitative interpretation.

The resulting Atlas of Italian Solar Landscapes offers not only a descriptive mapping of the phenomenon but also an interpretative platform to support design-oriented decision-making, and the development of design scenarios for the adaptive reuse, reconfiguration, and ecological and landscape reintegration of end-of-life photovoltaic fields.

The project outcomes include:

• a national geodatabase of ground-based photovoltaic fields;
• a comparative atlas of three solar territories;
• and a toolkit of design and policy strategies for the regeneration of end-of-life photovoltaic landscapes.

By integrating architectural reasoning with landscape, agronomic and geomatic disciplines, Next Generation Solar Landscapes research demonstrates that the design of solar landscape cannot be separated from questions of urban form, ecology, and land use. The research thus contributes to a broader rethinking of how renewable energy infrastructures can shape, and be shaped by, the landscapes in which they are embedded.

The results of the project have been presented at international conferences and in scientific publications, including the open access book Designing Forms for Future Solarscapes. A Vision for the Italian Palimpsest (LetteraVentidue Edizioni), which brings together some of the results of the PRIN research.

Book website link: https://letteraventidue.com/it/libri/designing-forms-for-future-solarscapes-vigliocco

The project contributes to the international debate on energy transition and landscape design, positioning decommissioned photovoltaic fields as catalysts for a new generation of solar territories, and showing how the end-of-life of photovoltaic fields can become an opportunity to generate new forms of ecological and territorial balance.

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Nowadays, because of the climate change challenges and the consequent spread of renewable energies ¬– whose link with the Earth’s resources is strong and evident – energy production seems to increasingly become and impactful activity on the landscape. This impact – usually negatively evaluated – often causes a conflict between those who consider the preservation of the natural landscapes as a priority, and those who turn the gaze more on the ecological and environmental emergency.

Within this complex and multifaced scenario, the main key issues of the research are:

– What is a sustainable energy landscape, which opportunities does it offer, and which are the current challenges?

– Designing new solar energy landscapes, what room for manoeuvre does the landscape architecture project have?

– How can the shape of solar energy facilities re-design contemporary landscapes?

This research deals with the topic of morphological studies and architectural design of photovoltaic facilities as a tool to manage the current energy transition through the landscape architecture, and as opportunities to create sustainable, cultural, and quality landscapes.

The importance of conceiving photovoltaic fields not as temporary and unplanned objects but as architectures that are part of our urban and rural landscapes is the main thesis of this research. Because if it is true that photovoltaic fields may not just be temporary infrastructures but buildings, then it is also true that we can conceive of those buildings as works of architecture.

From a methodological point of view, the research combines an analytical approach and a research-by-design method.

One of the main aims of the research is to identify scalable design strategies for the project of new large-scale renewable energy plants.The research ambition is to impact contemporary attitudes in energy plant design activity, proposing new landscape typologies whose cultural values could be acknowledged, shared and enjoyed.

The research overlaps with the main goals of the ONU Agenda 2030 and the European Green Deal 2050, and includes the instances and the debates promoted both by associations and organizations for landscape quality preservation – e.g.: Council of Europe Landscape Convention, Europa Nostra, etc. – and the environmentalist activists and associations.

The thesis states that solar power plants are comparable to production factories, and their design belongs to the realm of architectural design. Until now, solar fields have been considered as temporary infrastructures which has led to lower attention to design qualities and a neglect of these facilities.

At the beginning of the thesis, the relevant contribution of architecture in the design of energy plants and landscapes becomes evident through the study of best practices. After the theoretical and historical framing, the solar energy landscapes are selected for the following studies. The research investigates the architectural forms that these infrastructures have generated in contemporary landscapes (case study analysis). Finally, the design experimentations suggest that the design of these energy plants not only can follow the parameters of architectural composition but also has the potential to design landscapes rich in qualities, to be discussed and evaluated together with the local communities and all the actors involved.

In this way, the architectural discipline can play a key role in designing and managing the current challenges of the energy transition, applying its strategies and methods to design renewable energy production spaces, and sustainable contemporary and future landscapes.

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