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Bosco Verticale – The Amazing Green Towers That Shaped The Center of Milan

By Simona Ganea | Published on

You may have seen images of these green towers as they’re already very popular. This is the Bosco Verticale project and consists of two residential towers with green facades populated with gardens. It’s the first part of a large renovation project led by Hines Italia the goal of which is to repopulate Milan’s flora and fauna and to control and reduce urban expansion. The project started in 2009 and the towers were inaugurated in October 2014. They were designed and built by Boeri Studio.

The towers create a beautiful microclimate in the urban context of Milan, being situated at the center of the cityView in gallery
The towers create a beautiful microclimate in the urban context of Milan, being situated at the center of the city

The key element of the project is vegetation. The towers measure 110 respectively 76 meters in heights and each is like a vertical forest, an ecological billboard. Their facades are populated with a total of 800 trees, 4,500 shrubs and 15,000 plants which were distributed based on sun exposure. It took a group of botanists two years to plan the entire landscape of the towers together with the architects. The position of each tree was determined based on the sun exposure and its height.

The vertical forests which cover the facades of the towers are not just eye-catching. They produce humidity and oxygenView in gallery
The vertical forests which cover the facades of the towers are not just eye-catching. They produce humidity and oxygen
The trees and the shrubs and plants also absorb CO2 and dust particles and help to create a fresh environmentView in gallery
The trees and the shrubs and plants also absorb CO2 and dust particles and help to create a fresh environment
Another great thing about these vertical gardens is the fact that they offer protection from harmful sun raysView in gallery
Another great thing about these vertical gardens is the fact that they offer protection from harmful sun rays

The vegetation present on each tower is the equivalent of an area of 20,000 square meters on flat land. As far as the actual inhabitable space goes, each tower is the equivalent of 50,000 square meters of family houses and buildings. These numbers reflect the overall success of the project in terms of metropolitan reforestation, vertical densification of nature but also sustainable living and control over urban expansion.

In addition, the plants also offer protection from acoustic pollution which is always important in big citiesView in gallery
In addition, the plants also offer protection from acoustic pollution which is always important in big cities
It's the building's responsibility to manage the trees and to care for the greenery in generalView in gallery
It’s the building’s responsibility to manage the trees and to care for the greenery in general
All the plants were pre-cultivated in a nursery so they can get accustomed to the conditions on the balconies of the towersView in gallery
All the plants were pre-cultivated in a nursery so they can get accustomed to the conditions on the balconies of the towers
The exterior appearance of the two towers is constantly evolving thanks to the ever-changing greeneryView in gallery
The exterior appearance of the two towers is constantly evolving thanks to the ever-changing greenery
The vertical gardens change their look and coloring over the seasons and this also changes the cityscapeView in gallery
The vertical gardens change their look and coloring over the seasons and this also changes the cityscape
The massive amount of greenery is colonized by birds and insects and helps to make the towers burst with energyView in gallery
The massive amount of greenery is colonized by birds and insects and helps to make the towers burst with energy
In total, these two residential towers have a surface of 40,000 square metersView in gallery
In total, these two residential towers have a surface of 40,000 square meters
The towers quickly became landmarks for the city of Milan after completion and won several awardsView in gallery
The towers quickly became landmarks for the city of Milan after completion and won several awards
On November 19th 2014 the Bosco Verticale project won the International Highrise AwardView in gallery
On November 19th 2014 the Bosco Verticale project won the International Highrise Award
This tower was also named 2015's Best Tall Building Worldwide by the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat or CTBUHView in gallery
This tower was also named 2015’s Best Tall Building Worldwide by the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat or CTBUH
The amazing towers helped to shape the center of Milan and to give a fresh and vibrant lookView in gallery
The amazing towers helped to shape the center of Milan and to give a fresh and vibrant look
Bosco Verticale translates as Vertical Forest and the project couldn't have a more suitable nameView in gallery
Bosco Verticale translates as Vertical Forest and the project couldn’t have a more suitable name
This extraordinary project serves as a model for the entire world and will hopefully inspire many other similar ideasView in gallery
This extraordinary project serves as a model for the entire world and will hopefully inspire many other similar ideas