See the forest for the trees from Bosco Verticale in Milan

The problem with the big city is that it tends to completely wipeout trees and plants as buildings and roads get built. To combat this, Italian architect Stefano Boeri has designed the Bosco Verticale – vertical forests that are currently being built in Milan to help clean the air and reduce pollution.

Literally Italian for ‘vertical forests’ the apartment buildings will provide enough soil and roots for 900 trees, plus shrubbery and other vegetation. When completed, there will be enough flora designed into the buildings to fill 10,000 square metres of forest, which will greatly improve both the city’s air, but also its appearance.

The buildings are designed so that each apartment has a lush garden balcony for the vegetation, with the building filtering grey water to irrigate the plants. According to the architect’s materials on the plan:

The diversity of the plants and their characteristics produce humidity, absorb carbon dioxide 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.

Perhaps the most amazing element of the whole concept is that it is actually happening – the Bosco Verticale buildings are already being built in Milan. If successful, there’s a good chance you’ll start seeing tree-laden buildings pop up all over the world in high-pollution and high density cities.

Web: Stefano Boeri
Via: Gizmodo