Poliground

In the debate of climate change, universities play an important role for the sustainable development. The case study is the “Politecnico di Torino”, of which we evaluated the ecological footprint. Then, we proposed a transformation scenario with the aim both to reduce the environmental impact and to improve the well-being and perception of the users

We worked on the open spaces of the university because they are spaces of interaction with the city, they are performing and educational at the same time, theatre of the individual daily activities and of the collective events. We integrated the results of the ecological footprint with analysis on the material composition of those spaces and their users perception. We proposed a catalogue of interventions, which is possible to read whether as single elements or as an overall picture. The actions are collected in different declinations of the public space – streets, courtyards, parking lots, roofs and residual spaces and start from the existing situation, aiming to reduce the environmental impact and to improve the well-being of the students. The project can be read through different layers which constitute a masterplan of the open spaces. The layers come from the ecological footprint - energy, water, mobility, waste, land use, food; consumption categories we added the layer “community” because in a sustainable development the social identity is important. For the layers energy and water, we suggested a new design of the courtyards, enhancing the surfaces permeable to the water and the integration of solar panels into the roofs. For the landscape we explored the creation of a vegetable garden next to the canteen, a new urban park transforming the existing parking lot in a comfort and green area, a practicable roof system improving the local microclimate. Finally, we designed the slow mobility of the campus through a buffer zone next to the main entrances, separating them from the cars congestion, and good cycle paths connecting the main complexes of the campus. In the masterplan the pathways are important because it is through the walks and the stops that people enter in relationship with the surrounding context. With the proposal we want to integrate ecological principles in everyday life, transforming places empty and without value in spaces of social and environmental interaction and demonstrate as, through a re-design of the public spaces, is possible to enhance the sustainability of the campus.