Fiat’s Iconic Test Track Gets Luscious Green Makeover For A Clean Future
Image via Stellantis / Fiat
Apart from an impressive lineup of vehicles, Fiat has something else to boast about: an iconic test track on the rooftop of its Lingotto factory in Turin, Italy.
Now, it’s about to have even more bragging rights. Last month, the automobile company unveiled a brand new rework of its space: Casa 500 and La Pista 500.
Casa 500 is an exhibition space boasting an “immersive journey,” tracing the storied history of the iconic Fiat 500 in context of Italian culture. It’s “much more than an automobile museum,” described as an experience that “plays on memories, emotions and dreams to trace the culture and history of a country and a city, intertwined with the history of the 500.”
Recycled materials are used liberally throughout, from wood elements to plastics recovered from the sea making up seats alongside other reused furniture. Located on the fourth story of the Pinacoteca Agnelli museum complex, it directly overlooks the Lingotto test track and is connected to it via the large windows on all sides.
Image via Benedetto Camerana
La Pista 500 boasts a whopping 40,000 plants in what looks to be Europe’s highest hanging garden, designed by architect Benedetto Camerana with assistance by botanist Cristiana Ruspa. It spans the entirety of the 1.2km (0.74-mile) ring track and its surroundings, designed in a modern take on Baroque gardens with themed areas.
Image via Benedetto Camerana
In total, 27,000 square meters (290,600 square feet) of the roof-track are covered, with natural installations coming in at around 6,000 square meters (64,600 square feet) of that space. The landscaping is divided into 28 “islands,” which “form a naturalistic patchwork of colour with seasonal variations,” as described by the architect.
Over 300 indigenous types are included in and around the ring, with a large number of them being herbaceous perennials that are able to grow even without much water.
Some of the concepts the areas are designed on include native botanical species such as Hazelnut Grove, or Educational and Dye Plants. Others have overarching themes like Kitchen Garden, Herbaceous Borders, and Meditation.
Image via Benedetto Camerana
“In a world rediscovering the value of nature, we must not leave behind what plants can do for people, starting from the ability to provide nourishment, or to assist in meditation as in the case of aromatic plants,” Fiat explains.
In addition to this lush green addition to the iconic roof, the track is being reopened “exclusively” to electric vehicles, bikes, and scooters.
Image via Benedetto Camerana
“Because of its memory, the idea of a test track has been preserved and transformed into a track only for electric vehicles,” Camerana tells Dezeen. “So the clean cars can drive gently in between the green islands, looking for a new harmony between mobility and nature.”
Together, Casa 500 and La Pista 500 will form a “green lung and cultural hub” for the city’s residents and visitors.
Image via Benedetto Camerana
“Today, we begin a new chapter in the history of the Lingotto,” declares Olivier Francois, Fiat CEO, in the news release. “It has always been a standard-bearer in Fiat’s history and it is right here that we’re planting the seeds of our future.”
[via Dezeen, cover image via Stellantis and images via Benedetto Camerana]
Also check out these recent news
