Urban living requires efficient use of space, but it can be a very environmentally-friendly lifestyle: city residents generally live in small homes with access to walkable neighborhoods and public transportation. One common downside is a lack of green space, but architect Stefano Boeri aims to change all that with his “Bosco Verticale” concept. Italian for “vertical forest”, his project was recently described by the Financial Times as “the most exciting new tower in the world”.
Currently under construction in the Isola neighborhood of central Milan, the inaugural Bosco Verticale project consists of a pair of residential towers. Rising 110 and 76 meters over the city, the towers will be home to 900 trees (some close to 30 feet tall) plus a range of flowering plants and shrubs. That amount of greenery is comparable to 10,000 square meters of forest space, or 50,000 sqm of suburban residential property.
According to Boeri, “Bosco Verticale is a project for metropolitan reforestation that contributes to the regeneration of the environment and urban biodiversity without the implication of expanding the city upon the territory. Bosco Verticale is a model of vertical densification of nature within the city.”
Besides offering pleasing aesthetics, the vertical forest concept takes the green skyscraper concept even further by creating a healthier environment for residents. The density of plantings creates a microclimate that filters dust and particulate pollution, absorbs CO2, and absorbs noise. Improved shade and temperature regulation will help avoid the “heat island” effect and reduce the energy needed for climate control systems.
Other energy-efficient components are being integrated into the buildings as well: photovoltaic arrays will provide partial power to the buildings, and much of the irrigation needed to support the plantings will come from reusing processed wastewater. Visit Stefano Boeri Architecture to learn more.
Very interested in your cutting edge news as it pertains to farming and energy. We have solar house, 1 hoop hose so far and another in planning, we are strictly Organic.
Awesome tower. Growing vertically can be good for plants, as air circulate better around them, which can mean less disease, mildew, and fungus. Some pests don’t crawl vertically, so you may be able to avoid them. Vegetables and fruits that are not lying on the ground will be cleaner and less likely to rot; and yield per square foot of garden space will be greatly increased.