Bosco Verticale by BOERISTUDIO

An ongoing project that I found via 2050City's tweet is the Bosco Verticale by Stefano Boeri. According to BOERISTUDIO composed of Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barrera, and Giovanni La Varra:

Bosco Verticale © BOERISTUDIO

Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) is a project for metropolitan reforestation that contributes to the reneration of the environment and urban biodiversity without the implication of expanding the city upon the territory. Bosco Verticale is a model of vertical densification of nature within the city. It is a model that operates correlated to the policies for reforestation and naturalization of the large urban and metropolitan borders (Metrobosco). Metrobosco and Bosco Verticale are devices for the environmental survival of contemporary European cities. Together they create tow modes of building links between nature and city within the territory and within the cities of contemporary Europe.

Bosco Verticale © BOERISTUDIO

The first example of a Bosco Verticale composed of two residential towers of 110 and 76 meters height, will be realized in the centre of Milan, on the edge of the Isola neighbourhood, and will host 900 trees (each measuring 3, 6 or 9 m tall) apart from a wide range of shrubs and floral plants.
On flat land, each Bosco Verticale equals, in amount of trees, an area equal to 10.000 sqm of forest. In terms of urban densification the equivalent of an area of single family dwellings of nearly 50.000 squm.
The Bosco Verticale is a system that optimizes, recuperates and produces energy. The Bosco Verticale aids in the creation of a microclimate and in filtering the dust particles contained in the urban environment. The diversity of the plants and their characteristics produce humidity, absorb CO2 and dust particles, producing oxygen and protect from radiation and acoustic pollution, improving the quality of living spaces and saving energy. Plant irrigation will be produced to great extent through the filtering and reuse of the grey waters produced by the building. Additionally Aeolian and photovoltaic energy systems will contribute, together with the aforementioned microclimate to increase the degree of energetic self sufficiency of the two towers. The management and maintenance of the Bosco Verticale's vegetation will be centralised and entrusted to an agency with an office counter open to the public.

This Bosco Verticale will be located in Milano, Italy with a built area of 40.000 square meters. The ambition is clear as mentioned above: to provide a microclimate for Milan and filter the dust particles contained in the urban environment.

Bosco Verticale © BOERISTUDIO

In 2008, The Telegraph announced on March 7th that Milan was the Europe's most polluted city scoring, on February 15th 2008, 185 micrograms per cubic metre of air, say almost four times over the official limit. Various measures, yet unfortunately timid, were voted with the aim of mitigating urgently this 'plague'.

Bosco Verticale © BOERISTUDIO

Beyond this problem of air pollution, which will play a much more important role in the future in terms of  city design, and health and well-being.

Bosco Verticale © BOERISTUDIO

Indeed, to allow for a healthy living environment will be the key to cities, be they developed or developing cities. As Ricky Burdett said, (…) Global well-being will increasingly be determined by the health of urban dwellers." A city with a highly carbon emission and air pollutation rates cannot provide a healthy living environment for its dwellers.

Bosco Verticale © BOERISTUDIO

Hence the goal of this Bosco Verticale to targeting a rapid improvement of air quality of Milan, at the very least. Air pollution aside, another issue will be acoustic pollution that Bosco Verticale aims at mitigating.

Bosco Verticale © BOERISTUDIO

In few words, this multi-task vertical forest will be much more than a green building, it will be as well as energy producer and energy saving.

Bosco Verticale © BOERISTUDIO

Yet this project raises a question I find interesting to ask — that was initially posed by Rachel Armstrong (on Twitter again): how does irrigation and nutrition of a forest vertical work?


Project Information
Project: Bosco Verticale
Architectural Design: BOERISTUDIO: Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca, Giovanni La Varra
Team:

• Phase 1 — Urban plan and preliminary design: Frederic de Smet (coordinator), Daniele Barillari, Julien Boitard, Matilde Casani, Andrea Casetto, Francesca Cesa Banchi, Inge Lengwenus, Corrado Longa, Eleanna Kotsikou, Matteo Marzi, Emanual Messina, Andrea Sellanes.
• Phase 2 — Final design and working plan: Gianni Bertoldi (coordinator), Alessandro Agosti, Andrea Casetto, matteo Colognese, Angela Parrozani, Stefano Onnis.

Consultant for the vegetation project: Emanuela Borio, Laura Gatti
Location: Milano, Italy
Year: 2007 (ongoing)
Client: Hines Italia
Built area: 40.000 sqm
Budget: 65.00.000,00 euros