Milan plants a new forest in the sky
17/05/2014.
By Boeri Studio. [MIL] Italy
metalocus, INÉS LALUETA
metalocus, INÉS LALUETA
Trees have been planted in Bosco Verticale – a new high-rise residential development in Milan that will feature its own urban “forest”.
Milan plants a new forest in the sky, by Boeri Studio
The project includes two towers for residential use with 19 and 27 floors respectively.
The maximum project excavation depth was defined to reduce the distance between the tunnels and the excavation base to no less than 3.50m.
70% of the area has recently been assigned as a public park.
Milan plants a new forest in the sky by Boeri Studio.
The new area includes three underground levels and five buildings for residential and commercial use.
The project redevelops an area that has been historically dedicated to light industrial and craft activities.
Pictures of the site area.
In order to ensure a high comfort level, the buildings’ superstructures have been isolated by dampers at the ground floor level.
In the site area, there are two tunnels that belong to the MM2 underground line and another tunnel is currently being built for the underground line MM5.
Designed by Boeri Studio and developed by Hines, this vertical forest in the heart of one of the Europe´s most polluted cities will include two residential towers of 110m and 76m high. Altogether, 900 trees measuring between 3m and 6m have been planted, along with 5,000 shrubs and 11,000 floral plants on terraces up to the 27th floor.
The project is set to create a new standard for sustainable housing and was developed with the help of Arup´s structural and geotechnical designs, together with consultancy services on acoustics, vibrations, ground-borne noise and tunnelling. Arup also provided advanced design solutions related to the effects of two existing railway tunnels under the site that required a dedicated design of a base-isolation system for the main buildings.
As a new growth model for the regeneration of the urban environment, the design creates a biological habitat in a total area of 40,000m2. The designers aim to inspire greater urban biodiversity in the face of Milan´s challenge of increasing pollution.
Thanks to the huge amount of green area, the building not only optimizes, but also produces energy. Besides creating oxygen and humidity, the plants also absorb CO2 and dust particles, which improve the environment. From compact two-room apartments to penthouses and duplexes, the main characteristics of the flats are the balconies, which extend 3,35 meters outwards to host the greenery. The design also includes photovoltaic energy systems to increase the degree of energetic self sufficiency of the two towers.
“Being part of the design team of such an innovative project presented new challenges every day since the buildings and the structural itself needed to relate to an ever changing environment and new and unusual design inputs had to be thoroughly understood and incorporated in the overall picture.”
Luca Buzzoni, Project Manager, Arup Milan.
The Bosco Verticale building is part of the Porta Nuova Isola complex. This project involves the redevelopment of an area historically dedicated to light industrial and craft activities. Following the proposal to create Bosco Verticale at the site, 70% of the area had been assigned as a public park. This new residential area includes five main buildings for public, residential and commercial use, and three underground parking levels.
Investors in the project include Coima XXI, Domo Media, Hines European Development Fund. The development will create an new environmental corridor and increase the amount of green space in the city.
Project completion and handover is scheduled by the end of 2014.
CREDITS.
Architect.- Buildings D and E: Boeri Studio, Milan. / Building B: Lucien Lagrange Architects, Chicago, IL. / Building C: William McDonough + Partners, Charlottesville, VA.
Client.- Hines Italia.
More information
STEFANO BOERI
Stefano Boeri, born in 1956, is a Milan-based architect and since June 2011 he is Councillor for Culture, Design and Fashion for the Municipality of Milan. From 2004 to 2007 he was editor in chief of “Domus” international magazine. From 2007 to 2011 he was editor in chief of the international magazine “Abitare”. Professor of Urban Design at the Politecnico di Milano, he has taught as visiting professor at Harvard GSD, MIT, Berlage Institute and Architectural Association, among others. Since 2007 he is the director of the international festival of architecture FESTARCH. Recently he has curated “Sao Paulo Calling” a project about informal settlements, promoted by the Segretaria de Habitaçao of Sao Paulo.
