Tanvee Thapa

REWILD: Sowing seeds of nature from the death of a solar plant

Project by: Tanvee Thapa, Vinayak Bhattacharya Project Site: Canaro, Rovigo, Italy Under the banner of ‘Rewild’, this initiative extends a helping hand to nature, facilitating the reclamation of lands once teeming with willows, marshes, hygrophilous woods, and woodlands. At its core, this visionary project emerges as a response to the complex challenge of decommissioning solar panels by transforming it into an opportunity to rewild aging solar parks that might otherwise be abandoned at the end of their operational life. Established in 2013, the Canaro solar park showcased exceptional 90% to 100% efficiency. With the panels projected to reach their end-of-life in 2040, the project plans to decommission them. Pending government approval, a fresh panel array will be placed along the park’s perimeter every 30 years, sustaining renewable energy generation until 2100-the predicted “death of the solar plant”. Ultimately, the land will be returned to its original state, a sanctuary where the forest once thrived in perfect harmony. Furthermore, the retired panel structures will be repurposed to nurture the growth of forest trees, enhancing the eco-corridor and catalyzing the ‘rewild strategy’. This ecological transformation continues to expand, gradually maturing into a thriving forest. Additionally, central ditches within the park will be converted into a water canal, facilitating the eco-corridor’s formation through the transfer of water from nearby canals. This water will gradually seep into the spaces left by removed structural foundations, transforming the land into wetlands and revitalizing the water table.

SOxCO :Integrating Solar into Community

Project by: Tanvee Thapa, Vinayak Bhattacharya, Silvia Caremoli Project site: Parco Piazza D'Armi, Milan, Italy Solar energy, with its profound significance in nature, takes center stage in propelling mankind’s evolution in this project. The thesis takes the opportunity to unite modern-day solar parks into the urban fabric, aiming to forge a new and sustainable form of landscape. The primary focus is to decentralize energy production by creating a ‘zero-mile local energy smart grid’. Its core objective is to create a harmonious alliance between energy systems and the diverse natural environments within the abandoned military area by opening its edges and inviting the city to become an active and integrated participant in this sustainable endeavor. To achieve this, the proposal entails choosing a site based on the criticalities of setting up a PV plant followed by categorizing it into heterogenous spaces as per their morphology. Depending on each typicality, it adopts sustainable solutions for the cohesive integration of PV panels in a multi-faceted urban landscape. The outcome encompasses: a community solar park inviting users for a unique experience, revitalized military barracks transformed into a thriving hub igniting economic growth, and former illicit orchards reshaped into solar-powered community gardens. By forging a unique alliance between the natural environment and architectural technology, the park not only cultivates resilience, social integration, and sustainability but also serves as an educational platform, empowering and involving the community in the adoption of sustainable practices.