The Vertical Forest – Stefano Boeri

Although I absolutely love living in urban environments, this city gal misses greenery and often yearns for the smell, shade, protection, and relaxing vibes of nature. I’m absolutely mesmerized by Stefano Boeri’s Vertical Forest in Milan, Italy. The two residential towers fully embody the dichotomy of my two opposing needs. The mixture of modern, clean, and industrial lines blended with lush, vibrant, and wild greenery, is truly stunning.

The architectural beauty, inaugurated in 2014, serves as a prototype for Boeri’s sustainable “Vertical Forest” model. While Frank Lloyd Wright designed buildings that were harmoniously integrated into nature, Stefano introduces nature into the concrete jungle. The Vertical Forest creates a unique biodiversity within the urban ecosystem to help lower air and noise pollution, welcome wildlife, and offer shade.

The success of The Vertical Forest has made Boeri a highly sought after architect and urban planner. Since its unveiling, Boeri has been commissioned to create much larger scale projects – including vertical forest cities! I’m extremely excited to see how his Liuzhou Forest City will turn out. It’s expected to feature “40,000 trees and almost one million plants, comprising 100 different species.” (Gibson, Dezeen.com)