Why I Choose BOSCO VERTICALE?

As cities cope with rapid population growth and grapple with destructive sprawl, politicians,
planners, and architects have become increasingly interested in the vertical city paradigm. Given the
large-scale problems of skyscrapers, any improvements in their planning, design, and construction
would be significant. So to study green design elements, including aerodynamic forms, greeneries,
energy-saving systems, innovative renewable energy techniques, water-saving technologies, rainwater
catchment systems, and the like. The examined projects illustrate foremost sustainable design features,
strategies, and techniques that help to meet the functional requirements while resulting in attractive
forms.

BOSCO VERTICALE- A FOREST IN SKY

In Italian, the phrase “Bosco Verticale” literally translates to “vertical forest.” Bosco Verticale
are two residential towers within Milan’s Porta Nuova area, one of the biggest urban redevelopment
project in Europe. The building is placed in Porta Nuova Isola, an area which was historically dedicated
to light industrial and craft activities. The project was set to create a new standard for sustainable
housing to contrast Milan's increasing pollution threat. Designed by Boeri Studio, the Vertical Forest is a
model for a sustainable residential building, a project for metropolitan reforestation contributing to the
regeneration of the environment and urban biodiversity without the implication of expanding the city
upon the territory.

The Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) is the world’s tallest example of living architecture, with
two towers lifting hundreds of trees above Milan’s streets. One of the architects Stefano Boeri describes
the two buildings, due to be opened this year, as a ‘model of vertical densification of nature within the
city’. It is a model of vertical densification of nature within the city that operates in relation to policies
for reforestation and naturalization of large urban and metropolitan borders.

Developed by Hines, the first example of the Vertical Forest consisting of two residential towers
of 110 and 76 m height was realized in the center of Milan, on the edge of the Isola neighborhood,
hosting 800 trees (each measuring 3, 6 or 9 meters), 4,500 shrubs and 15,000 plants from a wide range
of shrubs and floral plants distributed according to the sun exposure of the facade. All of the plant
species were carefully selected by agronomists Laura Gatti and Emanuela Borio.
PROJECT TEAM

Owner: I undo Vona Nuov.i Isoi

Developer: Hine; Italia
Architect: Been Studto
Structural Engineer. Arup Italia
MEP Engineer. Deem
Main Contractor: ZH Construction Company 5 pA
Other Consultants: Emanuel-a Bono and Laura Gatti (landscape design)

BUILDING DATA

Year of Completion: 2014

Height: Tower D 85 meters, Tower E 117 meters
Stories: Tower D 18, Tower E 27
Building Gross Floor Area: 18,717 square meters
Building Function: Residential
Structural Material: Concrete
Green Wall Type: Tree planters on cantilevering balconies
Location on Building: All orientations of facade at all levels
Surface Area of Green Coverage: I 0. 42. Square meters (approx.)

SITE CONDITIONS

The Bosco Verticale is part of the new Porta Nuova area, an extended urban transformation of a
neglected area of Milan. This 34-hectare area is completely new, before the construction of 20 towers in
the last decade; it was one of the last un-built sites in the city. Before the Porta Nuova project began,
the area was partially occupied by an amusement park; much of the remainder was abandoned, vestigial
land. In addition to lying about 2,200 meters from the main cathedral, excellent accessibility is provided
by two nearby railway stations, two underground metro lines and a third under construction, a new auto
tunnel under the platform of the Unicredit Tower, and several tram and bus lines.

DESIGN CONCEPT

In recent years, significant improvements have been made to building envelopes generally. They
have become more sustainable from an energy point of view, in that they are increasingly better
insulated and shaded and, sometimes, integrated with systems for energy generation. Still, tall buildings
are normally clad in hard-surfaced materials that "mineralize" the urban environment (by using
ceramics, glass, metal, bricks, etc.).

According to the architect of Bosco Verticale, Stefano Boeri, the project "represents a different
idea of sustainability"(Giacomello 2014). The Bosco Verticale faces the challenge of sustainability by
introducing a new level of biodiversity into the city. Following this concept, the two towers of the Bosco
Verticale represent "a medium*for a new ecosystem realized through an exceptional variety of more
than 90 plant species.

The greenery of the Bosco Verticale is

not simply decorative; rather, it is a
composition of plants that, in addition to
being able to live in the artificial condition
of a tall building, recreate a very rich
biodiversity. Trees, shrubs, and herbs, with
their flowers, berries, and seeds present in
large quantities produce a natural support
to the plants themselves, and to small
animals, introducing into the city center of
Milan a high concentration of natural life.
In this way, the two towers become a
"stations along a green corridor that
connects the large green suburban areas
with urban gardens and the very few
uncultivated small plots of land in the city
center, which have been colonized by
important plants: At Bosco Verticale, the
implementation of biodiversity through the
use of plants installed on a tower envelope
is an innovative operation of a technical
complexity that has never been attempted
so far at such a scale. The design of the
primary systems has been conducted
through collaboration between the
architect and the landscape designer with
an interdisciplinary team that has worked BOSCO VERTICALE LIFE CONCEPT
at the highest level of professionalism.

DESIGN STRATEGIES

 A project for metropolitan reforestation and a model of the vertical disinfection of nature. The
objective was to reproduce the equivalent of 1 hectare of forest vertically, with the attendant
benefits of noise and pollution reduction, shading for cooling and aesthetic enhancement.
 Projecting balconies on each floor and on each face are enhanced by trees and bushes placed in
concrete planters, which act as parapets.
 Designing with green walls, or facade-integrated vegetation, offers multiple benefits. The
benefits of green walls vary depending on many factors, such as geographic location and
 climate, building geometry, orientation, plant species, and green wall components and systems.
According to the 2014 CTBLIFI Technical Guide, Green Walls in High-Rise Buildings, these
benefits can be categorized as being on the urban scale (benefits for the urban community
beyond the building itself) and building scale (addressing green wall benefits for a building's
users and owners).
 Acting as an extension of the exterior envelope of the towers, the plants represent a filter
between the interiors of the towers and the urban environment. From inside, the plantings offer
inhabitants a special experience of their terraces, which are pleasantly shaded by luxuriant tree
crowns, and a "green-filtered view to the city, in addition to an enhanced feeling of privacy.
From outside, the plants realize an urban vertical reforestation, providing several environmental
and microclimate benefits particular to trees physiology: dust, absorption, pollution reduction,
BVOC (Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds) production, carbon sequestering, air temperature
mitigation, and air humidity all increase or improve as an effect of evapotranspiration.
 The envelope of Bosco Verticale is an active interface to the environment, with a special
architectural quality. The dynamism of plant life, in fact, is also expressed in the combination of
forms and colors that derives from the carefully selected distribution of different species and
specimens, which change over the seasons and the years. The greenery of the plantings is
underscored by the grey color of the exterior walls, making the plants the protagonists of an
architectural story of great visual, environmental and ultimately societal impact.

Change in colors of plants with seasonal changes.

Structural Performance Tests

The resolution of the structural design of the Bosco Verticale was essential to proving that the vertical
forest-concept was feasible. The structure is fashioned entirely in concrete: the columns are made of
reinforced concrete, while the floors are post-tensioned reinforced concrete. The characteristics of the
project required a precise calibration of the following factors: the gravity loads of trees and the soil, the
3.3 meter deep cantilevered terraces, the unsupported corners, with a maximum span of seven meters,
and the dynamic loads of the wind and its effect on the trees stability and security. To meet these
criteria, defining the dynamic loads became a major part of the design process, including scale-model
tests and full-scale tests on real trees in the field.
Beyond the standard structure, the geometrical and
dimensional characteristics of the plants at their likely
fullest extent needed to be taken into consideration. A
botanic analysis obtained the height of the trunk, the
surface area and center of gravity of the canopy, and
the air permeability of each of the selected species.
Experimental tests were performed in a wind tunnel at
the Politecnico di Milano, with the objective of defining
local wind phenomena around the Bosco Verticale
facades.

Planting Restraint Safety System

The trees classified as large and medium are secured to

the structure of the terraces, by way of three different
devices:

o Temporary Bind:

The root ball of each tree is anchored to the plant

container through textile belts. This system is required
in the early life of the trees, until the roots have grown Typical Vertical Section showing terraces.
to take hold.
o Basic Bind:
Each tree is fixed, with three elastic belts, to a retaining steel cable, anchored to the terrace above. This
is the main fall-arrest device for grown trees.
o Redundant bind:
A #1 steel cage fixes the root ball to the plant containers. This bind is used for the trees located in the
windiest positions and on the top floors of the towers.

Irrigation

The water distribution network for irrigation is composed of four main elements: the principal
network, which brings under-ground water to the terraces; the control group in each plant container,
which regulates the water supply; the widespread distribution in the plant containers (the drip line), and
the humidity control system (the humidity sensors).

o The principal tower network:

The project uses groundwater for irrigation. In the basement of each tower there is a water
storage tank, which is continuously fed with groundwater. From the water storage tank to all floors of
each tower, the water is distributed through different groups of pumps. Every group of pumps supplies
one sector of the towers. In Tower E there are three sectors (one of low, one of medium, and one of
high hydraulic head) in Tower D there are two sectors (one of low and one of high hydraulic head). The
combined fertilization and irrigation occurs between the water storage tank and the groups of water
lifting pumps. The main irrigation tubes are located on the facades. Since they are not insulated against
low temperatures, for safeguarding against frost, the system automatically empties when the
temperature reaches 0°C, and recharges when the temperature returns to 5-6°C.
o The control group in the plant containers:

Each plant container has one "control group" of

irrigation. The control group receives water from the main
distribution network and regulates the water flow inside the
container. The control group is composed of three elements,
partially buried in the substrate of the plant container: a
solenoid valve, a filtration unit, and a pressure regulator. The
plant container, therefore, has one solenoid valve that is
independent from all the others. The irrigation is electrically
operated, and every solenoid valve works independently. This
feature allows different irrigation flows to be programmed for
each container, according to the variability of the plants' water
demand. All the valves in the Bosco Verticale irrigation system
operate by independent open/close commands. The widespread
distribution element in the plant container downstream from
the control group, in each plant container is the drip line,
hardened against root penetrations and siphoning by a
chemical/mechanical barrier in the emitter and air-vent valves in
the tubing, which distributes the water on the surface of the
substrate.

o The humidity control system:

Although irrigation is programmed valve by valve, a

humidity control system is installed to monitor its progress.
Inside each plant container, there are two humidity sensors that
register the humidity level of the substrate, one near the water
distribution point, the other on the far side of the distribution
point. The recorded data are used for controlling the efficiency of the irrigation schedules and for
verifying any failure of water supply in the plant containers (such as obstructions or water loss).

SHADING CAPACITY OF VEGETATION

o Greenery in the Context of Tall Buildings:

Facades covered with plants are generally considered positive for sustainability because of the
benefits that vegetation brings to the external environment, such as at temperature mitigation, air
humidity increase as an effect of evapotranspiration, dust absorption, pollution reduction, EIVCC
(Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds) production, carbon sequestration, and so on .Those benefits are
variable, depending on the positioning of the vegetation Their magnitude is influenced by the size and
thickness of the crop, and by the leaf characteristics specific to each species.
 o Benefits to the internal environment:

As to the benefits to the internal environment of a building. The vegetation on the facade
reduces the cooling load during the warm season, due to reducing solar gain through the envelope.

o Plants acting as a sunscreen:

The shielding capacity of the leaves (which is particularly efficient due to phototropism) reduces
the absorption of solar radiation of the shaded layers, and therefore the heat transfer to the indoors.
o Plants acting as a windscreen:
Although leaves are characterized by certain levels of wind permeability, they help to reduce
convective heat transfer.

o Plants using solar energy

Plants using solar energy for their transpiration and photosynthesis. These two processes are
responsible for air temperature reduction, since the sensible heat is converted into latent heat and
lower external air temperatures imply less consumption of cooling energy in interiors.

Different types of green walls used in building.

BIOLOGICAL HABITATS

Vertical Forest increases biodiversity. It helps to set up an urban ecosystem where a different kind
of vegetation creates a vertical environment which can also be colonized by birds and insects, and
therefore becomes both a magnet for and a symbol of the spontaneous re-colonization of the city by
vegetation and by animal life. The creation of a number of Vertical Forests in the city can set up a
network of environmental corridors which will give life to the main parks in the city, bringing together
the green space of avenues and gardens and interweaving various spaces of spontaneous vegetation
growth.

MITIGATIONS

Vertical Forest helps to build a micro-climate and to filter dust particles which are present in the
urban environment. The diversity of the plants helps to create humidity and absorbs CO2 and dust,
produces oxygen, protects people and houses from harmful sun rays and from acoustic pollution.

ANTI-SPRAWL

Vertical Forest is an anti-sprawl measure which aims to control and reduce urban expansion. If we
think of them in terms of urban densification, each tower of the Vertical Forest is equivalent to an area
of urban sprawl of family houses and buildings of up to 50,000 square metres.

ECOLOGY BILLBOARDS

Vertical Forest is a landmark in the city which is able to depict new kinds of variable landscapes
changing their look over seasons, depending on the types of plants involved. The Vertical Forests will
offer a changing view of the metropolitan city below.

Conclusion

With 18,000 square meters of living green facade, the Bosco Verticale is the most extensive integration
of plants ever applied to a tall building. This huge experiment symbolizes a new idea of sustainability
that includes biodiversity as an element of environmental enhancement. The full understanding of the
impact of these design choices will occur in the future, interpreted through the transformations of its
mini-ecosystem. Though repeated measurement and verification will be necessary, the Bosco Verticale
today stands as a reference model for the next generation of living facades on tall buildings. In the field
of agro-technologies applied to buildings, the Bosco Verticale is already an exemplar of innovations.