Michael Nothum
View beneath the solar roof.
Category: Move
Honorable Mention
Part civic shade structure, part energy generator, and part billboard, Power Parasol Lot 59 is a galvanized steel structure topped by 7,600 photovoltaic panels that covers an existing parking lot for 800 vehicles at Arizona State University’s Tempe, Ariz., campus. Designed by Phoenix-based Debartolo Architects, who worked in concert with a team of structural and electrical engineers, the 227,700-square-foot canopy generates over 2.2 megawatts of electricity. It is supported by slender columns that provide the supporting armature for hanging banners, advertisements, and lighting.
“It’s a 5-acre project, so I’m thinking about the colossal scale of this, but then there’s this level of refinement in the assembly with which I was really impressed.” —Elizabeth Ranieri
Project Credits
Project Power Parasol Lot 59, Phoenix
Owner NRG Solar—Thomas Reagan
Host Arizona State University, Tempe Campus
Developer Strategic Solar Energy
Architect Debartolo Architects, Phoenix—Jack DeBartolo III, AIA
Contractor Hardison/Downey Construction—Kevin Vander Molen, AIA
Structural Engineer Rudow + Berry—Mark Rudow
Electrical Engineer Taylor Rymar Corp.—Dan Simpson
Civil Engineer Evans Kuhn & Associates—George Evans
Landscape Engineer JJR Floor—Kris Floor
Geotech Consultant Speedie & Associates
Size 227,700 square feet
Cost Withheld
Photographer Michael Nothum
