The photo is of the vertical forest created in Milan, Italy. The pair of the residential buildings belongs to Porto Nova district. Notice here the heights of the towers are 360 feet and 249 feet. There is an office tower complex right next to the towers. The design of the building got finalized by the famous firm Boeri Studio.
The chief architect Stefano Boeri consulted the horticultural and botanical companies for the verticle forest final design. Stefano says that the vertical forests concept is there to counteract the over populated city residential centers to increase the greenery. Now this can be called the first vertical tower. There are over 5000 plants there.
These towers prominently kept coming in the news since October 2011. Their construction is about to get completed now. In those days, they were only contemplating whether the project would ever get completed.
Each column houses trees between three and six meters which help decrease smog and deliver more oxygen. It is also used to adjust temperatures in the structure in the winter and summer. The plants also reduce noise. The design got experimented in a wind tunnel to guarantee the trees would not topple from blasts of wind. Via
Jungles and the meadows and the farming crops and the all other trees and bushes produce 50% of the earth’s oxygen. The other half gets removed and stored by the ocean phytoplankton.
The atmospheric carbon dioxide gets preserved by the forests.The woods work all the 24 hours and for days together. We all know that using products of forests we construct, furnish and get heat for our homes.
It is this part of nature ( forests) we get the valuable renewable energy. Forest provide with the renewable energy and also they clean, purify and bring the air to breathable temperature.
Bosco Vertical, Porto Novo in Milan – Photo credit: imgur.com.
The suburbs of the Milan city would certainly get itself depolluted by these shrubs and 11000 decorative plants with the beautifying effect. The fine dust would get absorbed by the trees planted in the towers.
Natural environments:
The concept of organic architecture is against the idea of the technical and mechanical method of environmental sustainability. The variety of plants, trees would certainly provide more oxygen and protect the residents from the sunlight. Environmental corridors would connect the city’s various parks thus helping in leading the natural life. The population will certainly feel closure to nature. The idea of vertical forests will increase the biodiversity of the surroundings. As an advantage, the birds and the insects would diversify resulting in the increased vegetation in the area.
Reservations on the Vertical Forests:
Every new idea finds plenty of resistance by some others. Likewise, the comments opposing the very concept keep pouring in. They say that it is going against the nature to plant trees and shrubs on towers. Their reason that plants keep growing and shed their growth and branches. On a stormy day, the trees or branches may fall hitting or heavily damaging the humans or other properties. Upkeep of the plantation may slack down and cause harm to others.
The concept is captivating but how to be sure that the trees and plants get managed well. If there are foliage on each terrace, will it be the landlord or even the tenant who will take responsibility for the bushes? Assuming that each person who lives there is honest and can do that properly. The idea is great, but it poses problems regarding maintenance.
The trees are not every day dying to fall over lifeless and kill someone below. If a tree falls, it is a slow process, so they get removed before it is a danger. Also, they will be retained in place by a root ball that will very likely be extremely root bound as the roots will develop to the size of the inside of the case. From individual experience, it will be gardener’s ordeal to get a dead tree out
We need to adopt a wait and see approach would be best, and there is no harm if adequate precautions get arranged. Via
