Rome’ proposal for the Expo 2023 includes an urban solar farm that could power the exhibition site and help decarbonize the surrounding neighborhoods. The project is being developed by Carlo Ratti Associati, architect Italo Rota and urbanist Richard Burdett, with a proposal to be a joint effort from every participating country.

Rome is on the run to host the Expo 2030, alongside Busan, in South Korea, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Italian capital is proposing to organize the event in Tor Vergata, a vast area in Rome and home to the eponymous university and a densely inhabited residential district. All the pavilions are designed to be fully reusable, as the area could be transformed into an innovation district after the event in the hope of revitalizing the somewhat neglected neighborhood.

A urban solar farm in Rome

The master plan for the urban solar farm was co-developed by Carlo Ratti Associati, an innovation and design firm that investigates the impact of digital technologies on architecture, planning and design, architect Italo Rota and urbanist Richard Burdett with several partners to assess the projects’ sustainability, infrastructure, design, mobility and costing. The urban solar farm would be made up of hundreds of square-shaped “energy trees”, incorporated into the dedicated plots of each nation and engineered to open and close their panels throughout the day.

While harvesting energy, these structures would also provide shade for visitors exploring the site and form a mosaic-like structure when viewed from above. Another one of CRA, Rota and Burdett’s ambitions for the solar farm is for it to decarbonise surrounding neighborhoods by supplying them with renewable energy.

“We conceived this project like a feasible utopia – one that aims to be a catalyst for new projects and ideas. The main driver behind this goal is to let natural ecosystems and technological inventions work in sync, just like human and natural energy would make each other more intense. This new approach to temporary events could become the foundation of a new model for urban development”, says architect Italo Rota

Rome’s bid for the World Expo 2030 is divided into three districts, named the City, the Boulevard and the Park. Laid out from east to west, they would take visitors on a journey from an urban to a more natural environment. The urban solar farm will sprawl across the central spine of the masterplan, named the Boulevard, which will also incorporate all of the national pavilions.

First read on Dezeen

Also read Why should we care about geo-engineering?