‘Vertical Forest’ Tower Building Features 2.5 Acres’ Worth Of Plants & Trees

In recent years, many architectural projects have taken on the challenge of incorporating construction with nature, literally embodying eco-friendly design by turning locations into sprawling mangroves or building rooftop gardens.

Now, a new project by Stefano Boeri Architetti, an architecture firm known for greenery-clad buildings, will attempt the feat of integrating thousands of plants and hundreds of trees into a multi-use complex.

Aptly named the Wonderwoods Vertical Forest, the location in Utrecht, the Netherlands, is actually part of a larger build that will comprise two separate towers. The firm is responsible for the taller of the two, which will stand at 344 feet.

The building will include apartments, office spaces, a restaurant, and of course, lots of landscaping. Over 10,000 plants and 300 trees of 30 different species will be added to the complex’s façade, equivalent to 2.5 acres of real forest.

Stefano Boeri Architetti described the tower as a “real urban ecosystem,” which was inspired by the Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park and will produce an estimated 41 tons of oxygen for the city annually.

Aside from brightening up apartment owners’ balconies, the flora featured is there for a purpose. The firm explained that the plants dampen noise pollution from bustling roads and provide shade in the summer.

This helps combat the heat island effect, resulting in the temperature of the building lowering both on the exterior and interior, maintaining the well-being of its inhabitants while saving energy by reducing the use of air conditioning.

As for how the incredible amount of plants and trees will be kept in check, the architects said a group of “flying gardeners” will abseil down from the top of the building to tend to the greenery.

A forest’s worth of plants is currently being installed on Wonderwoods Vertical Forest using a series of cranes and specialist gardeners, with the project scheduled to be completed in mid-2024.

[via New Atlas and Euronews, images via Stefano Boeri Architetti / The Big Picture]