Castelleone (CR)
Competition - 3rd place
Overview
From Route 451, the landfill appears as a low hill. Trees obstruct the view, making it impossible to see the hill in its entirety.
Its height becomes noticeable only up close.
The project does not seek to hide the landfill or disguise it with purely aesthetic additions.
Instead, it aims to highlight what remains—a unique, ziggurat-like structure—and to emphasize its ongoing energy production through biogas and solar panels.
The proposed interventions are minimal, focused on completing specific areas to achieve the following:
- Constructing a new photovoltaic plant
- Adding a few symbolic elements to revitalize the area and transform it into a tourist attraction
The hillsides are reshaped for clarity, and pathways are marked with 10 cm-wide phosphorescent strips that emit light at night. These glowing paths become striking features in the landscape, arousing curiosity among passing drivers.
New Solar Plant
The new technological features are integrated naturally and attractively, without concealment. The photovoltaic plant includes a walkable
solar floor, designed to avoid monotony through the addition of small mounds and depressions. These create a dynamic, colorful landscape.
A mirroring effect helps to visually lighten the hill’s mass, making it seem to almost disappear.
Energy Museum
At the top of the hill, a structure serves both as a destination and as a glowing landmark, symbolizing the innovative energy production on-site.
This “box” features curtain walls made from double-skinned fiberglass and silicon, making it translucent by day and luminous at night. The structure
functions as both a temporary installation and a large, glowing lamp.
Welcoming area
The area at the base of the hill has been completely redesigned. Preexisting elements are preserved and reimagined as artifacts within an open-air Technology Museum.