Two towers with a height of 80 and 112 meters and a total area of about 40,000 m2 were erected in the Isola zone of the actively developing Porta Nuova quarter in the central part of Milan. The project fully justifies its loud name Bosco Verticale ("Vertical Forest"), because on the balconies located on all sides of the buildings, not only 900 high (9 m), medium (6 m) and low (3 m) trees were planted, but almost 5 000 shrubs, and about 11,000 flowers - about the same amount can be counted on a whole hectare of forest.
You can talk as much as you like about the lack of natural areas in large cities, about the importance of the so-called "green", environmentally friendly construction, but it is not so easy to implement these ideas. However, architects Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca and Giovanni La Varra (partners of Boeri Studio) for the first time used living trees and shrubs not just to create separate recreation areas "at altitude", but as a full-fledged part of the building's life support system, moreover, a high-rise building. They protect the interior from city dust, excessive noise, too hot sun, increase humidity and, of course, absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. In addition, the basis is being created for the formation of a full-fledged ecosystem - after all, the vegetation will become a home for birds and insects. So several such residential complexes can significantly affect the environmental situation in the entire city.
The construction cost is estimated at 65 million euros. The developer was the Italian branch of Hines, and the most experienced Arup specialists were involved as engineers. The plants have been carefully selected specifically for this project over a period of two years. Their care will be organized centrally, under the control of the operating company. For irrigation, waste water passed through filters will be used, and wind and solar energy sources will further increase the energy efficiency of the residential complex.
Of course, the issue of population growth and the consolidation of cities remains on the agenda - this process is inevitable, so here is another eloquent figure: if the owners of apartments in the Bosco Verticale towers were placed in private houses, such an area would occupy an area of about 5 hectares. But in this case, the problem of saving space is not solved at the expense of residents, since a completely new standard of quality of life and environment has been created for them. It is characteristic that the architectural solutions themselves are quite neutral, and even the architects themselves do not focus on them.
