CONTEXT

The Solar Parkades initiative at TSAM’s Prospecton manufacturing industrial park in Durban represents a forward-looking commitment to sustainability and operational resilience. By installing a large cantilever-mounted solar array, the facility generates approximately 2.84 GWh of clean electricity annually — reducing the plant’s carbon footprint by over 3,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year. Architecturally, the design re-imagines conventional parking infrastructure. The parkades serve dual purposes: providing covered, shaded parking and producing renewable energy. This dual-purpose PV canopy system protects vehicles from heat and weather — particularly valuable in Durban’s climate — while supplying electricity for high-demand operations, onsite equipment, and potentially future electric-vehicle charging infrastructure.

Such solar canopies, increasingly adopted worldwide, maximize land-use efficiency by combining parking and power generation. The projects aligns with TSAM’s broader environmental goals — aiming for 100% renewable energy at the plant by 2028, supported by investments in solar capacity and low-carbon systems. By integrating solar infrastructure directly into campus parking, the design delivers both functional utility and strategic energy resilience in a region facing electricity supply and load-shedding challenges. More than an energy upgrade, the Solar Parkades symbolize the shift toward sustainable industrial architecture where utility and environmental responsibility intersect. The result is an intelligent, high-performance campus — a model for manufacturing facilities combining productivity, sustainability, and lifecycle efficiency.