Project Description
Solar Power
2012 Annual Design Review
Debartolo Architects
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