In 2014, in northern Italy, Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) was inaugurated, marking a milestone in sustainable architecture innovation.
Ten years later, this complex of two skyscrapers in Milan continues to attract international attention thanks to the more than 2,000 plant species distributed on the building’s facades.
The real estate project, designed by Boeri Studio, consists of two large towers measuring 80 and 112 metres in height and includes around 800 trees, 15,000 perennial plants, and 5,000 shrubs. This translates to 20,000 square metres of forest in an urban area of 1,500 square metres.
The architect responsible for the complex, Stefano Boeri, started the project with the premise of creating a microclimate that would improve air quality and provide a natural barrier against noise pollution and solar radiation in the area.
This idea arose during a visit to Dubai, where he had the impression of being in a “mineral city,” made up of dozens of towers and skyscrapers clad in glass, ceramic or metal.
According to the architect’s website, “The project is also a device for limiting the sprawl of cities brought about through a quest for greenery (each tower is equivalent to about 50,000 square metres of single-family houses)”.
He added: “Unlike ‘mineral’ facades in glass or stone, the plant-based shield does not reflect or magnify the sun’s rays but filters them thereby creating a welcoming internal microclimate without harmful effects on the environment.
“At the same time, the green curtain ‘regulates’ humidity, produces oxygen and absorbs CO2 and microparticles…”
A decade after its inauguration, the design remains a fantastic example of sustainable architecture and breaks with traditional conventions of urban skyscrapers.
Beyond the environmental qualities it brings, the project has also become a tourist attraction. Over the years this vertical garden has become one of the must-see tourist spots for those visiting Milan.
Although the apartments are private residences and not open to the public, the buildings’ facade can be admired from adjacent streets and parks.
Additionally, the vegetation changes according to the season in which it is visited, offering a dynamic spectacle throughout the year. Bosco Verticale is located in the Isola neighbourhood, 2.4 kilometres away from Piazza del Duomo, the most famous hotspot in the Italian city.
The Vertical Forest is partly natural and partly man-managed. One of the most unique components of this highly developed system is that of the “Flying Gardeners”, a specialised team of arborists-climbers who, using mountaineering techniques, descend from the roof of the buildings once a year to carry out pruning while checking the state of the plants in addition to their eventual removal or substitution.
Irrigation is also centralised: the needs of the plants are monitored by a digitally and remotely controlled installation while the necessary water is largely drawn from filtered effluent from the towers.
A few years after its construction, the Vertical Forest has given birth to a habitat colonised by numerous animal species, including about 1,600 specimens of birds and butterflies, establishing an outpost of spontaneous flora and fauna recolonisation in the city.
