By | TrueActivist
After winning a bid to design the Netherlands’ first vertical forest, Italian architect Stefano Boeri has announced his plans for his contribution to the entire urban forestation project that the Netherlands has planned. Boeri has just recently broken ground on a ‘Forest City’ in China and that project was preceded by the world’s first vertical forest by Boeri in Milan, so he’s no stranger to making a city greener.
The forest, which is to be called Hawthorn Tower and put in the city of Utrecht, is set to be nearly 300 feet tall and will be blanketed in plants. It will reportedly absorb 5.4 tons of carbon dioxide to combat air pollution in the city and be a mixed-use building. The absorption of pollutants will be made possible by the 10,000 plants of different species that are to be installed on the sides of the facade. About 360 trees and 9,640 shrubs and flowers will make up the forest on the building.
“The 90 meters in height tower designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti attempts to create, in Utrecht city center, an innovative experience of cohabitation between city and nature,” said the architects.
Placed in the new healthy center of the city, Hawthorn Tower will be used for a variety of purposes and activities, such as yoga, office space, bike parking, and public leisure spots. What’s more is that there will be a research center for urban forestation that’s open to the public on the ground floor and connects to the garden on the roof. In the center, people can view different technical and botanical aspects of the vertical forest and also monitor the construction of other towers around the world.
The project by the Netherlands will also feature another tower designed by MVSA, an Amsterdam architect, that will work in conjunction with the vertical forest by offering more practical space with a mix of greenery.
On their website, MVSA says that “by 2050, almost 90% of Europeans will live in a city” and that vertical forests are a way to get “exposure to fresh air and green spaces” in an urban environment.
Construction is set to begin in 2019 with the tower being completed in 2022. More cities around the world should consider similar structures if they want to become a part of the global effort to combat air pollution. As emissions around the world increase exponentially, the threat to Earth and humanity rises as well, and a call to action is needed for all cities before they become too overpopulated to develop such necessary buildings.
Article Source: True Activist
