Stepped Housing with Trees and Bushes will Help Absorb Carbon Dioxide

Stefano Boeri Architetti has done more than most to help make the current trend of covering buildings with trees popular. This is because of the success of its groundbreaking Bosco Verticale. In its latest project, the studio is going back to this so-called "Vertical Forest" theme by building homes that are covered in greenery and have eco-friendly features and, according to the company, will absorb a lot of CO2.

The project—Bosconavigli—is being created in partnership with Arassociati, Milano 5.0, and landscape designer AG&P Greenscape. It's part of a larger plan to improve the riverfront area of Milan, which will also include a park in the style of the High Line. This plan is being led by Carlo Ratti Associati.

Bosconavigli will be built in the shape of an L, enveloping a courtyard and an old elm tree. The building will be about 8,000 square metres (86,000 square feet) big and will have about 90 apartments. It will be built to let in as much natural light as possible and will have a loggia, which is a covered area that opens to the outside like a balcony. On the first level, there will also be public facilities such as a restaurant, a swimming pool, a gym, and a sauna.

It will have a lot of greenery on the outside, including several hanging gardens with more than 170 trees, 8,000 shrubs, and 60 different types of plants. Stefano Boeri Architetti has done the math and claims that this will absorb around 23,000 kg (nearly 50,000 US lb) of CO2 per year—of course, this does not include any CO2 produced during construction, which is still a good thing in and of itself.

Stefano Boeri Architetti, said: 

"Bosconavigli will be a sustainable living organism since the vegetative system has been designed to filter fine dust micro-particles and reduce pollution while reducing energy consumption thanks to the thermal inertia of the vegetation, which guarantees protection from the Sun's rays along with the absorption of CO2. The thousands of plants and shrubs that will cover Bosconavigli will act as a bulwark of biodiversity and will change the colour and profiles of the building as the seasons change."

In addition to all the greenery and the focus on letting in as much light as possible, Bosconavigli will use less power from the grid thanks to its solar panels. Rainwater will be collected and used for irrigation. The building will feature a geothermal heating and cooling system too.

Source: New Atlas

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