stefano boeri's solar-powered train station doubles as public piazza in matera, italy

a train station designed by stefano boeri architetti has opened in southern italy, featuring 696 solar panels to eventually power a public piazza that is incorporated into the design. linking the old town of matera, a troglodyte city on a rocky outcrop in the region of basilicata, with the surrounding post-war and modern districts, the station is an urban landmark in harmony with its forthcoming role as the 2019 european capital of culture.

images courtesy of stefano boeri architetti

once plagued by extreme poverty and unsanitary conditions, in the 1950s the city’s entire population was relocated to new housing projects as part of a government program. since then the regeneration of matera, the city of sassi, has promoted a remarkable regeneration. stefano boeri architetti uses materials to highlight this history, reflecting on its historical and current prospects.

apricena stone recalls the local of the ancient city of the sassi, and steel is evocative of the city’s contemporary condition. elsewhere, stone is used to clad the station building and aluminum covers the emergency platform.

the new public space consists of two empty areas: one that runs alongside the railway tracks six meters below ground and a piazza at ground level, which is sheltered and demarcated by a large roof. 12 meters above the piazza this large roof is supported by twelve steel columns that emerge from an ‘iron floor’. it extends beyond the underpass to create a large sheltered space that is open to the public throughout the day.

a large rectangular 440m2 opening links the public square to the platforms, flooding the underpass with natural light. meanwhile, stefano boeri has fitted the station’s roof with enough solar panels promising enough energy to eventually supply the entire piazza and park with power sometime in the future. 696 horizontal panels are installed discretely over an area of 1250m2, producing 271.440 kwh per year.

project info

architects: stefano boeri architetti
location: matera, italy
year: 2017 – 2018
client: fal ferrovie appulo lucane – bari
services: feasibility study; concept, developed and technical design for architectural project, structural and plant engineering
surface: underground surfaces station: 1,956 sqm, tunnel length of the station: 130 m, surfaces above ground station building: 472 sqm, external area of the station: 2,180 sqm, external area of intervention: 7,800 sqm