Designed by Boeri Studio and developed by Hines, a vertical forest in the heart of one of the Europe's most polluted cities will include two residential towers 110 meters and 76 meters high.
Altogether, 900 trees measuring between 3 meters and 6 meters have been planted, along with 5,000 shrubs and 11,000 floral plants on terraces up to the 27th floor.
The project is set to create a new standard for sustainable housing and was developed with the help of Arup's structural and geotechnical designs, together with consultancy services on acoustics, vibrations, ground-borne noise, and tunnelling. Arup also provided advanced design solutions related to the effects of two existing railway tunnels under the site that required a dedicated design of a base-isolation system for the main buildings.
As a new growth model for the regeneration of the urban environment, the design creates a biological habitat in an area of 40,000 square meters. The designers aim to inspire greater urban biodiversity in the face of Milan's increasing pollution.
Thanks to the huge amount of green area, the building not only optimizes but also produces energy. Besides creating oxygen and humidity, the plants also absorb carbon dioxide and dust particles, which improve the environment.
From compact two-room apartments to penthouses and duplexes, the main characteristics of the flats are the balconies, which extend 3.35 meters outward to host the greenery.
The design also includes photovoltaic energy systems to increase the degree of energetic self sufficiency of the two towers.
“Being part of the design team of such an innovative project presented new challenges every day since the buildings and the structural itself needed to relate to an ever changing environment and new and unusual design inputs had to be thoroughly understood and incorporated in the overall picture,” said Luca Buzzoni, Project Manager, Arup Milan.
The Bosco Verticale building is part of the Porta Nuova Isola complex. This project involves the redevelopment of an area historically dedicated to light industrial and craft activities.
Following the proposal to create Bosco Verticale at the site, 70% of the area had been assigned as a public park. This new residential area includes five main buildings for public, residential and commercial use, and three underground parking levels.
Investors in the project include Coima XXI, Domo Media, Hines European Development Fund. The development will create an new environmental corridor and increase the amount of green space in the city.
Project completion and handover is scheduled for the end of 2014.
DISCOVERY CHANNEL VERTICAL FOREST from Stefano Boeri Architetti on Vimeo.
Related Stories
| Dec 20, 2010
Architect Adrian D. Smith on zero-energy cities, new technologies, and high density.
Adrian D. Smith, FAIA, RIBA, is co-founder (with Gordon Gill) of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Chicago. Previously, he was a design partner in the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (1980-2003) and a consulting design partner from 2004 to 2006. His landmark structures include the Jin Mao Tower (Shanghai), Rowes Wharf (Boston), and Burj Khalifa (Dubai, U.A.E.), the world’s tallest structure. He recently collaborated with Gordon Gill to design the world’s first net-zero-energy skyscraper, Pearl River Tower, now nearing completion in Guangzhou, China. This account is based on his recent remarks at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
| Dec 17, 2010
Gemstone-inspired design earns India’s first LEED Gold for a hotel
The Park Hotel Hyderabad in Hyderabad, India, was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to combine inspirations from the region’s jewelry-making traditions with sustainable elements.
| Dec 17, 2010
Alaskan village school gets a new home
Ayagina’ar Elitnaurvik, a new K-12 school serving the Lower Kuskikwim School District, is now open in Kongiganak, a remote Alaskan village of less than 400 residents. The 34,000-sf, 12-classroom facility replaces one that was threatened by river erosion.
| Dec 17, 2010
New engineering building goes for net-zero energy
A new $90 million, 250,000-sf classroom and laboratory facility with a 450-seat auditorium for the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign is aiming for LEED Platinum.
| Dec 17, 2010
Vietnam business center will combine office and residential space
The 300,000-sm VietinBank Business Center in Hanoi, Vietnam, designed by Foster + Partners, will have two commercial towers: the first, a 68-story, 362-meter office tower for the international headquarters of VietinBank; the second, a five-star hotel, spa, and serviced apartments. A seven-story podium with conference facilities, retail space, restaurants, and rooftop garden will connect the two towers. Eco-friendly features include using recycled heat from the center’s power plant to provide hot water, and installing water features and plants to improve indoor air quality. Turner Construction Co. is the general contractor.
| Dec 17, 2010
ARRA-funded Navy hospital aims for LEED Gold
The team of Clark/McCarthy, HKS Architects, and Wingler & Sharp are collaborating on the design of a new naval hospital at Camp Pendleton in Southern California. The $451 million project is the largest so far awarded by the U.S. Navy under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The 500,000-sf, 67-bed hospital, to be located on a 70-acre site, will include facilities for emergency and primary care, specialty care clinics, surgery, and intensive care. The Building Team is targeting LEED Gold.
| Dec 17, 2010
How to Win More University Projects
University architects representing four prominent institutions of higher learning tell how your firm can get the inside track on major projects.
| Dec 13, 2010
Energy efficiency No. 1 priority for commercial office tenants
Green building initiatives are a key influencer when tenants decide to sign a commercial real estate lease, according to a survey by GE Capital Real Estate. The survey, which was conducted over the past year and included more than 2,220 office tenants in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, the UK, Spain, and Japan, shows that energy efficiency remains the No. 1 priority in most countries. Also ranking near the top: waste reduction programs and indoor air.
| Dec 7, 2010
Blue is the future of green design
Blue design creates places that are not just neutral, but actually add back to the world and is the future of sustainable design and architecture, according to an interview with Paul Eagle, managing director of Perkins+Will, New York; and Janice Barnes, principal at the firm and global discipline leader for planning and strategies.
| Dec 7, 2010
Green building thrives in shaky economy
Green building’s momentum hasn’t been stopped by the economic recession and will keep speeding through the recovery, while at the same time building owners are looking to go green more for economic reasons than environmental ones. Green building has grown 50% in the past two years; total construction starts have shrunk 26% over the same time period, according to “Green Outlook 2011” report. The green-building sector is expected to nearly triple by 2015, representing as much as $145 billion in new construction activity.
