Bosco Verticale, built in 2014, is described by Italian architect Stefano Boeri as a "home for trees that also houses humans and birds", the development was his first in a series of "vertical forests".
Completed by Boeri Studio, the project was not the first building to incorporate planting into its facade. It followed a growing movement aimed at increasing the amount of vegetation in urban areas by planting vertically on buildings. This began with green walls – literally walls covered in shrubs and planters supported by hydroponic systems and continued with more ambitious projects incorporating larger plants.
Bosco Verticale took the trend to its extreme. The two towers are covered in 800 trees, along with 15,000 perennials and 5,000 shrubs. Planting was specified on a floor-by-floor basis, with over 60 varieties of trees including cherry, olive, and oak, and 90 varieties of plants used.
As well as increasing the biodiversity of the area and benefitting the health of residents, the planting has a practical purpose. The deciduous trees provide shading for the full height glazing in the summer, while in winter the bare trees allow more sunlight and heat into the apartments. Bosco Verticale influenced numerous buildings that followed, with tree-covered buildings since built in cities across the world from Shanghai to Athens.
Source: dezeen.com