A considerable proportion of our cities is occupied by areas of both moving and stationary traffic. Outdoor car parks in particular are highly unecological and space-intensive. They form a seal over the ground, promote heat islands in the summer, and can almost exclusively be used monofunctionally. For the project in Leoben, concrete-heavy areas will be assessed, and urban spatial effects, synergy and energy potential will be highlighted by newly developed, solar-active car park and street canopies in the form of wide-span lightweight constructions in public urban space. It will be explored how these canopies could affect the cityscape and the functioning of the city. The focus is on car parks but also on slow-moving roads and rail-tracks, although further options would be conceivable. A subsequent R&D demo project is being prepared with regard to content and strategy. This R&D project will demonstrate the application by using prototypes with both existing and new materials and photovoltaic technologies, and combinations of this technology within the urban infrastructure. This process will lead to the development of a marketable product by incorporating material knowledge in the region with a focus on membrane, polymer, and thin glass technologies.

Project duration:
January 2019 to February 2020

Funding:
The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) (Stadt der Zukunft – City of Tomorrow)

Project team:
Institute of Urbanism: Aglaée Degros (project leader), Ida Pirstinger, Anna Maria Bagarić, Nina Habe, Mendi Kočiš

Project partners:
FH Salzburg – Smart Building & Smart City
Leoben Holding GmbH