Landscapes and architecture of thermoelectric power stations in Italy

Journal title TERRITORIO
Author/s Chiara Geroldi
Publishing Year 2019 Issue 2018/86
Language English Pages 9 P. 92-100 File size 525 KB
DOI 10.3280/TR2018-086013
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

Several recently closed and underused thermoelectric power stations in Italy are the topic of the energy company enel’s project Futur-e. Here, some of those plants are described and several reflections at different scales are offered, useful to deal with such technical spaces from a design perspective. The paper will show that these plants are usually part of a global network of fuel flows and part of the ‘operational landscape’ (a definition provided within the context of the recent concept of ‘planetary urbanization’). How such power stations can influence their local context to generate a ‘landscape’ is discussed. The plants are then analysed in terms of their recurring spaces and structures as well as the unexpected environments, such as ‘natural’ areas or even archaeological sites that, strangely enough, may be found inside their borders.

Keywords: Power stations; landscape; architecture

  1. Berger A., 2006, Drosscape: wasting land in urban America. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
  2. Brenner N., Schmid C., 2012, «Planetary Urbanization». In: Gandy M. (ed.), Urban Constellations. Berlin: Jovis.
  3. Brenner N., 2012, «Eight theses on the urbanization question; introducing the urban theory Lab/GSD». In: Mostafavi M., Christensen P. (eds.), Instigations engaging architecture landscape and the city. Zürich: Harvard Graduate School of Design and Lars Müller Publishers.
  4. Brenner N., 2014, ed., Implosions/explosions: towards a study of planetary urbanization. Berlin: Jovis.
  5. Bridge G., 2009, «The Hole World. Scales and Spaces of Extraction». In: Ghosn R. (ed.), New geographies 2: Landscape of Energy. Cambridge (ma): Harvard University Press.
  6. Engler M., 1995, «Waste landscapes: permissible metaphors in landscape architecture». Landscape journal, 14,1: 10-25.
  7. Fontana V., 1998, «L’Italia elettrica». In: Pavia (1998a).
  8. Geroldi C., Pessina G., 2017, «From Oil to Electricity: power stations’ landscapes in Italy. The case of Porto Tolle», draft paper presented at The Global Petroleumscape conference. Delft, 17-19 May, 2017.
  9. Geroldi C., 2015, «Designed landscapes of Discarded Fill», PhD dissertation. Bari: Scuola Interpolitecnica di Dottorato – Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino and Politecnico di Bari.
  10. Geroldi C., 2017, «Spectacle Island: From discarded fill to designed landscape, a ‘natural’-looking park». Journal of Landscape Architecture, 12,3: 16-31. DOI: 10.1080/18626033.2017.1425314
  11. Ghosn R., 2010, ed., Landscapes of energy. New geographies, 2. Cambridge (MA): Harvard University Press.
  12. Guercio R., Pavia R., 1998, «L’involucro e il macchinario». In: Pavia (1998a).
  13. Hein C., 2010, «Global Landscapes of Oil». New geographies, 2: 33-42.
  14. Cambridge (MA): Harvard University Press.
  15. Jakob M., 2001, «Arquitectura y energía o la historia de una presencia invisible. Architecture and energy or the history of an invisible presence ». 2G Revista Internacional de Arquitectura. International Architecture Review, 18, II: 8-31.
  16. Jakob M., 2011, «On Mountains: scalable and unscalable». In: Allen S., Mc-Quade M. (eds.), Landform building: architecture’s new terrain. Baden, Princeton: Lars Müller, Princeton University School of Architecture.
  17. Lefebvre H., 1970, La revolution urbaine. Paris: Gallimard (trad.it., 2003, The urban revolution. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press).
  18. Lerup L., 1994, «Stim & Dross: Rethinking the Metropolis». Assemblage, 25: 82-101. DOI: 10.2307/3171389
  19. Mitterer W., 2004, ed., Megawatt & resistenze: l’era delle centrali idroelettriche in Alto Adige. Bolzano: Athesia.
  20. Pavia R., 1998a, a cura di, Paesaggi elettrici: territori, architetture, culture. Venezia: enel, Marsilio.
  21. Pavia R., 1998b, «Sentieri elettrici». In: Pavia (1998a).
  22. Restucci A., 1998, «Architetture nuove con rappresentazioni dell’Ottocento ». In: Pavia (1998a).
  23. Santini C., 2011, Le miniere di lignite nei comuni di Giano dell’Umbria e Gualdo Cattaneo. Spoleto: Enel, Del Gallo Editori.
  24. Selvafolta O., 1998, «La costruzione del paesaggio idroelettrico». In: Pavia (1998a).

  • Can post-mining territories become landscapes in motion?A Spatial Strategy to Build a (Landscape) Reputation for a Neglected Area in Tuscany, Italy Camilla Perrone, Maddalena Rossi, Flavia Giallorenzo, in Cahiers de la recherche architecturale, urbaine et paysagère /2020
    DOI: 10.4000/craup.4177

Chiara Geroldi, Landscapes and architecture of thermoelectric power stations in Italy in "TERRITORIO" 86/2018, pp 92-100, DOI: 10.3280/TR2018-086013