Winners of the Solar Park South Design Competition
The Plug-In Valley
PLUG-IN VALLEY The Autostrada del Sole is transformed into a green parkland that activates a series of plug-in valleys for the cultivation of bio-fuels and the development of new agrarian and post-industrial communities. The existing viaducts and the surrounding hills are transformedinto a series of landscaped parks with areas of cultivation. Tunnels become sources of geothermal energy providing heating and cooling to the new communities. Each viaduct is adapted to support plug-in structures that make vertical connections to the valleys below. The new structuresform a conduit for processing bio-fuels and other agricultural products as well as providing facilities for hikers and visitors to the park and for research communities. The plug-in structures are informal kit of parts, acting as agricultural machines for the harvesting of bio-fuels from thevalley below as well as housing educational spaces and events promoting ecological living and the wider region of Calabria.
The Plug-In consists of a shaft attached to the existing concrete viaduct piers with a cluster of spaces and platforms at the top, bridging both road levels and the valley bellow. An elevator transports the raw biomass from the harvesting in the valley up to the bio-fuel plant at the top of the structure where the bio-fuel plant becomes a public spectacle to be observed by visitors and researchers. The finished product is transported via trucks on the retained part of the highway, thus setting up a network for bio-fuel for the wider area. The Jathropa plant can be grown in very poor soils actually generating top soil as it goes. Its high oil content (40%) means it is very profitable for the local community, it prevents soil erosion and its life cycle yields plenty of secondary products such as fertilizers and soap. The Plug-In Valley sets up a system where all these products can be manufactured and distributed for the benefits of the environment and the local community.