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Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest), Milan
Milan, Italy
21,528 sf planted terraces plus solar & wind
Greenroofs.com Project of the Week: January 15, 2018
We begin 2018 with highlighting one of the more recent iconic living architecture structures in the world: the Bosco Verticale, or Vertical Forest, in Milan.
No surprise the high-rise forest was awarded the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s “2015 Best Tall Building Worldwide.” The project also garnered the 2014-2015 International Highrise Award, sponsored by the Museum of Architecture in Frankfurt (Deutsches Architekturmuseum, DAM) and DekaBank.
Mini Description & Details
The innovative LEED Gold Bosco Verticale has elevated the definition of ‘green skyscraper’ to a new level. Designed by Boeri Studio, the award-winning Vertical Forest is a model for a sustainable residential building, a project for metropolitan reforestation contributing to the regeneration of the environment and urban biodiversity. Without the implication of expanding the city upon the territory, it is a model of vertical densification of nature within the city.
Due to towering heights, terrace cantilevering, and heavy plantings, Arup performed geotechnical and structural engineering studies including wind tunnel testing. Developed by Hines, the first example of the Vertical Forest consists of two residential towers of 110 and 76 m high, situated in the center of Milan. All of the plant species were carefully selected by agronomists Laura Gatti and Emanuela Borio.
The Bosco Verticale hosts 800 trees (each measuring 3, 6 or 9 meters), 4,500 bushes, and 15,000 plants from a wide range of shrubs and floral plants distributed according to the sun exposure of each facade. In addition to evergreen species, deciduous tree specimens include beeches, yellow acacias, oaks, maples, ash trees, ferns and ivy, which were arranged on the four different façades of the two skyscrapers.
A team of aerial arborists perform pruning and other maintenance tasks several times per year, both inside and out. The over 20,000 plants absorb about 10,000 kilograms of CO2 per year and produce about 19,000 kilograms, or 42,000 pounds, of oxygen per year.
More
The lushly planted Bosco Verticale and its ever-evolving seasonal facades offer residents a cool, colorful, and sustainable lifestyle and contribute dramatically to the Milan cityscape.
Conceived as a prototype of the skyscrapers of the future, Stefano Boeri Architetti continues with future designs for Vertical Forests throughout the world.
Note: Laura Gatti from Studio Laura Gatti presented “Greening the Vertical City – the Bosco Verticale and a Look into the Future of Urban Living” at our 2017 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit.
Year: 2014
Owner: Coima SGR – Porta Nuova Isola Fund
Location: Milan, Italy
Building Type: Multi-Family Residential
Type: Intensive
System: Custom
Size: 21528 sq.ft.
Slope: 1%
Access: Accessible, Private
At roof level, photovoltaic panels contribute to the self-sufficiency of the complex. Image © designboom.
Designers/Manufacturers of Record:
Architectural Design: Boeri Studio (Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca, Giovanni La Varra)
Landscape Design: Emanuela Borio, Laura Gatti
Structural Engineer: Arup Italia
MEP Engineer: Deerns Italia
Main Contractors: Colombo Costruzioni and ZH Construction Company
Developer: Hines Italia
Interior Design: COIMA Image
All the Info:
View the Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest), Milan Project Profile to see ALL of the Photos and Additional Information about this particular project in The International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.
Project of the Week Video Feature
Watch the Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest), Milan Project of the Week Video below or see it on our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube:’
Greenroofs.com Project of the Week 1/15/18 video credits: Photos courtesy of Laura Gatti and Stefano Boeri Architetti. Video clips courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti.
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Love the Earth, Plant a Roof (or Wall)!
By Linda S. Velazquez, ASLA, LEED AP, GRP
Greenroofs.com Publisher & Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summits Host
Dr Malini A Shetty
Kudos to the brain behind this project, It is just unbelievable, looking as if we are seeing some cartoon, from the inception to the maintenance it is just innovative , challenging, environmentally sustainable. Hope more and more such projects will come. Including more native plants would be most environment friendly
Larry D McMurray
New stackable tiered trellis invention can be utilized in larger size containers, place containers next to eachother in a row and you will have a 2 foot thick wall of vining plant support! Pole beans come to mind. New patent pending product not published yet, called “Stack Trellis” available now on Amazon. Check it out.