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
| Jan 4, 2011
6 green building trends to watch in 2011
According to a report by New York-based JWT Intelligence, there are six key green building trends to watch in 2011, including: 3D printing, biomimicry, and more transparent and accurate green claims.
| Jan 4, 2011
LEED 2012: 10 changes you should know about
The USGBC is beginning its review and planning for the next version of LEED—LEED 2012. The draft version of LEED 2012 is currently in the first of at least two public comment periods, and it’s important to take a look at proposed changes to see the direction USGBC is taking, the plans they have for LEED, and—most importantly—how they affect you.
| Jan 4, 2011
California buildings: now even more efficient
New buildings in California must now be more sustainable under the state’s Green Building Standards Code, which took effect with the new year. CALGreen, the first statewide green building code in the country, requires new buildings to be more energy efficient, use less water, and emit fewer pollutants, among many other requirements. And they have the potential to affect LEED ratings.
| Jan 4, 2011
Furniture Sustainability Standard - Approved by ANSI and Released for Distribution
BIFMA International recently announced formal American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approval and release of the ANSI/BIFMA e3-2010 Furniture Sustainability Standard. The e3 standard represents a structured methodology to evaluate the "sustainable" attributes of furniture products and constitutes the technical criteria of the level product certification program.
| Dec 28, 2010
Project of the Week: Community college for next-gen Homeland Security personnel
The College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill., began work on the Homeland Security Education Center, which will prepare future emergency personnel to tackle terrorist attacks and disasters. The $25 million, 61,100-sf building’s centerpiece will be an immersive interior street lab for urban response simulations.
| 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.
