Designing sustainable multi-storey parking through integration of PV systems and green spaces

This thesis offers a design suggestion related to the Reinventing Cities competition, a call that encourages sustainable and innovative development in the urban and environmental fields. The goal is to change the way cities are designed and built in response to the climate crisis, through projects that ensure energy efficiency and low-emission construction. Bologna participates in this call with the FS Ravone-Prati area, a significant zone, which remained unused in some parts due to some physical and functional disconnection of the areas to the north and south of the area, represented by the railway. There are some remarkable landmarks surrounding this region that should be considered during the design process: the Maggiore hospital, Prati di Caprara which is one of largest green spaces in Bologna and the university campus. Besides, there is a lot of potential in this area which could be rethought and designed in order to create a more sustainable environment. One of the parts that is the aim of this thesis is, an existing parking lot in the east part of this area which could be considered as potential, in terms of both architectural point of view and urban designing as well. Because of its proximity to the city center and train station, this site could be an ideal location for individuals to park their vehicles and commute to their destinations. However, the goal of this thesis is to design and regenerate this site as something more than just a parking lot, taking into account the sustainability conditions outlined in the PUG planning guidance during the design process, which includes energy performance improvement, sustainable urban mobility and improving social aspects of the site. Overall, the goal of this thesis is to design a sustainable parking building, firstly by studying the site on an urban scale and the role of this building in providing services to the region and then focusing on designing the building based on the triple basis of sustainability.