Stefano Boeri's Bosco Verticale: From Milan to Nanjing

Stefano Boeri's Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) is a model of sustainable architecture that integrates trees and vegetation into high-rise buildings. The concept originated from a trip to Dubai, where Boeri was struck by the mineral, reflective towers dominating the city. The first Bosco Verticale was completed in Milan, featuring two towers—Torre De Castillia and Torre Confalonieri—covered with over 900 trees and plants. It won the Highrise Award in 2014 and the Best Tall Building award in 2015. Boeri then expanded the concept to Lausanne, Switzerland, with the Tour des Cedres (117 meters, 100 trees), and to Nanjing, China, with two towers of 108 and 200 meters, part of a larger development including a museum and green architecture school. Further Vertical Forests are planned in Chongqing, Guizhou, Liuzhou, Shanghai, and Shijiazhuang. Other architects have adopted similar approaches: Ateliers Jean Nouvel's One Central Park in Sydney (38,000 plants), Sou Fujimoto's hybrid buildings in Paris, Tokyo, and Bordeaux, Christian de Portzamparc's Flower Tower in Paris (400 bamboo plants), and MVRDV's Torre Huerta in Valencia (2005). Boeri's manifesto positions the Vertical Forest as an anti-sprawl device, biodiversity multiplier, and living ecosystem that reduces pollution and energy consumption.