FOREST BUILDINGS IN THE CITY GREEN

Building. What‘s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this? Most people would probably assume that you‘re talking about eco-friendly buildings constructed to save energy. Actually, several architectural firms around the world today are taking the “Green” concept literally as they emerge with “vertical forest” concepts.

The idea is to design buildings where different types of vegetation can grow around it. This will not only increase biodiversity in an urban area (it will attract birds and insects) but will also help to combat pollution in a natural way. Plants can help to filter dust particles from the air while absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.

These forest buildings are also a sight to behold and will help to improve the aesthetics of an otherwise concrete jungle. Forest buildings and forest cities will allow urban dwellers to get back to nature without leaving the city.

One of the chief proponents of the “vertical forest” concept for buildings and cities is the Italian architect, Stefano Boeri, who has two “vertical forest” buildings in the works in Nanjing. He has also unveiled a “forest city” concept for a couple of Chinese cities.

His idea is to build a city in China which could act as a benchmark for other cities that want to not only go green, but to Boeri’s Vertical Forest City Concept; Lizhou (top view); Sao Paulo Hotel; Shanghai. Nanjing (close up). Nanjing (from afar).

become full-fledged forest cities. Boeri‘s plans for Liuzhou Forest City envision a city where all its buildings are covered by trees and plants. His plans call for 40,000 trees and about one million plants to grace the skyscrapers spanning 175 hectares along the Liujiang River in the mountainous area of Guangxi.

Boeri estimates that the greenery will absorb nearly 10,000 tonnes of CO2 and 57 tonnes of pollutants per year, while also producing approximately 900 tonnes of oxygen. Construction is expected to start in 2020. Boeri has also proposed a similar concept for another Chinese city called Shijiazhuang.

A vertical forest concept by Boeri that is already in the works is a pair of towers in the Pukou District of Nanjing, which is home to over 1,000 tress and 2,500 plants and shrubs. The two towers will feature a shopping centre, food market, restaurants, a conference hall and exhibition spaces.

This mixed-used development project has been described by Boeri as “a real vertical forest that will help to regenerate local biodiversity, provide 25 tonnes of CO2 absorption each year and produce about