World's First Vertical Forest Is Finally Complete In Milan
After 5 year construction, Stefano Boeri Architects' brilliant "Bosco Verticale" towers are finally complete. World's first vertical forest comprises a fantastical pair of luxury high-rises that add nearly 10.2 thousand square meters of lush vegetation to the skyline of Milan, a city notorious for its air pollution. However, "Bosco Verticale", which translates in English as "vertical forest," will be more than just a beautiful sight to behold--like a pair of green lungs, its forested facade of 21 thousand plants will absorb CO2 and particulates, dampen noise pollution, lessen the urban heat island effect, and create oxygen and favorable microclimates.
The "Bosco Verticale" mixed-use towers were constructed with US$ 2.5 billion public-private investment as part of the redevelopment of Milan's Porta Nuova district. The towers, measuring 80 meters and 110 meters, house 800 trees between 3 and 9 meters tall, over 4 thousand shrubs, and 15 thousand ground cover plants including vines and perennials. Created with LEED Gold certification in mind, "Bosco Verticale" is also equipped with a gray water recycling and irrigation system as well as photovoltaic solar cells.
The buildings welcomed its first residents last month, but those families weren't the only ones to call the vertical forest home; a thriving bird population has already begun to nest in "Bosco Verticale's "rich foliage, of which over a hundred different species of trees and shrubs are represented. "The real key to this project is biodiversity," says Boeri. In addition its 22 thousand residences, the high-density mixed-use towers also comprise 6400 square meters of office space and 650 commercial spaces. Nearly two out of ten property buyers are foreigners.
The superstructure was also recently shortlisted for the prestigious International High-rise Building Award 2014 (The City of Frankfurt has bestowed The International Highrise Award every two years since 2004. The honor is awarded to a structure that combines exemplary sustainability, external shape and internal spatial quality, not to mention social aspects, to create a model design. The prize, a 50 thousand euro is awarded to the planners and developers jointly) as one of the five most beautiful and innovative high-rises in the world that were recently completed.
Boeri is currently in China, where he plans to replicate the "Bosco Verticale" project.
The "Bosco Verticale" mixed-use towers were constructed with US$ 2.5 billion public-private investment as part of the redevelopment of Milan's Porta Nuova district. The towers, measuring 80 meters and 110 meters, house 800 trees between 3 and 9 meters tall, over 4 thousand shrubs, and 15 thousand ground cover plants including vines and perennials. Created with LEED Gold certification in mind, "Bosco Verticale" is also equipped with a gray water recycling and irrigation system as well as photovoltaic solar cells.
The buildings welcomed its first residents last month, but those families weren't the only ones to call the vertical forest home; a thriving bird population has already begun to nest in "Bosco Verticale's "rich foliage, of which over a hundred different species of trees and shrubs are represented. "The real key to this project is biodiversity," says Boeri. In addition its 22 thousand residences, the high-density mixed-use towers also comprise 6400 square meters of office space and 650 commercial spaces. Nearly two out of ten property buyers are foreigners.
The superstructure was also recently shortlisted for the prestigious International High-rise Building Award 2014 (The City of Frankfurt has bestowed The International Highrise Award every two years since 2004. The honor is awarded to a structure that combines exemplary sustainability, external shape and internal spatial quality, not to mention social aspects, to create a model design. The prize, a 50 thousand euro is awarded to the planners and developers jointly) as one of the five most beautiful and innovative high-rises in the world that were recently completed.
Boeri is currently in China, where he plans to replicate the "Bosco Verticale" project.
