Urban living is completely turned around in the architectural miracle of Bosco Verticale, which integrates human habitation and natural ecosystems in one city (Milan). Having studied biophilic design for many years and as someone who practices it myself, Bosco Verticale really inspires me, offering an idea of future architecture today, tomorrow, or any time in the future.
The Bosco Verticale is composed of two towering skyscrapers, both residential apartments, rising into the midst of Milan’s skyline. Trees, shrubs, and flowering plants cover them from crown to foot—a veritable urban jungle hung high on steel bars.
This vertical forest was not only an experiment in aesthetics; it was an attempt to fuse nature into the city fabric. Giving the city a living eco-system from nature that is balanced and provides benefits both environmentally and for human beings socially as well as psychologically. The project was born out of an overall recovery program for the Porta Nuova area of Milan and is destined to make it into a lively and sustainable urban center.
The Bosco Verticale’s design philosophy is rooted in a recognition of how nature improves urban life. His team, he said, looked at urban architecture and asked themselves one fundamental question: How can we get the forest in, as opposed to always having to take cities and push towards forests?
This led them to create a structure that embodies the principles of biophilic design, turning the Bosco Verticale into living proof of how architecture might bridge the gulf between humans and nature.
To station the epicenter in Milan represented a daring and innovative initiative. The city’s native population was aware of the lack of green belts and that its air quality standards didn’t measure up to those in other major cities around Italy. Two towers of the Bosco Verticale represented change: one brought biodiversity into an environment of urban space-ruined air pollution with no greenery remaining, and another meant hope for sustainable living.
The thought was at fault for such an ambitious experiment, demanding not only architectural innovation but also a profound knowledge of botany, ecological systems, and city planning.
In designing and constructing the Bosco Verticale, architects faced a number of challenges. These included the choice of plant species that would flourish at different heights and in various directions, and how to support the additional weight of greenery piled on top of buildings themselves. The project was a joint effort between architects, engineers, horticulturists, and botanists, each contributing to achieving this vision.
The result is that today a pair of buildings stand, which not only constitutes a modern architectural milestone but is also a significant part of biophilic design.
Is Bosco Verticale a Biphilically Designed Present?
Harmony between architecture and nature The Bosco Verticale is the very embodiment of the spirit of biophilic design: it combines nature with man-made materials in an almost organic way. This interdependence is unlike just sticking plants on a balcony; it permeates through and emanates from every aspect of its design.
These two buildings house over 900 trees and more than 15,000 square meters of shrubs and plants in five colors and 500 varieties. An ecosystem designed into every little detail for its residents’ health, as well as a microclimate with high biodiversity to attract birds and insects, was carefully planned.
“The Environmental Benefits of This Acid Rain-Reducing Project Bosco Verticale offers a number of environmental benefits. In fact, it solves many of the problems in today’s cities and our lifestyles. In this concrete jungle, far cooler than the surrounding countryside, this form of vegetation can be seen growing up to five stories as if on an inclined plane. All those bright lights shining on dark streets below are the hoes people bring out to tend their balconies; they act effectively as ghetto windows against a variety of air-borne particles.
The trees themselves provide effective, flexible barriers against wind and shade from nearby buildings, where necessary. Unusually, a far greater area of walls in the housing scheme is painted gray. This cuts down on heat loss when winter is at its severest and provides soft cushioning in heat and moisture for insulating actions; in short, the whole wall becomes a thermal mass.
Bosco Vertigale was also designed with an eye for water conservation. By combining an irrigation system with the building’s infrastructure, water supplies for tenants were curtailed and then distributed to plants on their balconies. This system uses several methods to obtain reliable greywater for gardening. Coupled with rainwater harvesting, this system helps the Vertical Forest maintain its own equilibrium and cuts waste water overhead.
There is more to living in the Bosco Verticale than being close to nature, and therefore, something of beautiful scenery broods from without view. The place gives actual mental as well as social benefits to its inhabitants. Bosco Verticale residents claim that with this contact with nature comes an immense sense of satisfaction. The results of investigating such effects are seen to lower tension, lift one’s mood, and generally improve mental state. So the physical environment it constructs brings people together. This is a brand new kind of urban living entity grounded completely firmly within nature itself.
Maintenance and maintenance Reggae exerts its pull on all sorts of people with any number of tastes, sorry. You need a whole team of gardeners and botanists. Every day, 48 minutes Six days a week, maintenance work is needed on the plantations. If Wetchi’s ladies devotedly nurse the avian forest, then it must always be a garden of bird life.
Embracing Complexity and Collaboration
The Bosco Verticale project, however, has taught us that complexity should be embraced and interdisciplinary collaboration encouraged. To realize such an ambitious project called for converging the expertise of architects, engineers, botanists, and ecologists, each bringing their own unique perspective to bear on things.
In order to grapple with the many-faceted problems of incorporating nature into city architecture, such as structural issues, the selection and management of plants, and so on, this collaborative approach is required, showing us anew that we need a biophilic design that acknowledges the involvement of various specialists and inputs from any point in a comprehensive spectrum.
Prioritizing biodiversity and ecosystem services
The Bosco Verticale in Hong Kong has also shown that prioritizing biodiversity and ecosystem services is a necessary part of urban planning. Not only must it provide residential habitats for all kinds of plant species, birds, and insects, but the environment created by the project can also save some parts of urban biodiversity—something little emphasized in normal urban development projects. The emphasis on diversity in return not only increases the ecological values of the project but also makes life more varied for those living there. Directly, they can experience a few of nature’s diversities.
The ecosystem services provided by vegetation in terms of air purification, temperature regulation, and noise reduction are excellent examples of how biophilic design can be used to create a healthier or more sustainable urban environment.
The success of Bosco Verticale raises a big question: Is it possible to popularize the principles of biophilic design? While this is a striking example of what is possible, it is also a high-end solution that is not available to everyone.
The challenge for the future is to find ways of integrating biophilic design into a broader range of projects, from low-income housing and community centers to urban infrastructure and public places. This will demand innovative thinking about building materials and methods, as well as financing arrangements, but also an agreed commitment from both the public and private sectors to treat green infrastructure as an integral part of city development.
From Some Perspectives In Its Construction Work To Create A Global Phenomenon
Perhaps the most profound lesson to be learned from Bosco Verticale is its ability to boost aspiration. The project has aroused curiosity on the part of people the world over, providing a real-life illustration of how cities can change from smoky industrial hives into fresher, more beautiful places where people enjoy living.
It prompted a worldwide discussion on what nature means to an urban habitat and how architecture can provide environmental and social benefits. As an example of coping with a rapidly growing population, this is the first time anywhere that we have “seen that innovation together with collaboration (from different fields and officers in society) is possible” anywhere in the world.
Final Thought
The Bosco Verticale does not consist only of buildings but also demonstrates future urban design.
It directs us to consider our relationship to nature, view biodiversity and the service function of ecosystems as two forms of urban development, one for its open, starry night skies, all cities, humanity included, and work together towards a world in which both human and natural systems can flourish.
To move forward, the principles embodied in the Bosco Verticale”s design should guide our efforts to create healthier and more sustainable urban environments that are also resilient. The way is difficult and will demand skilled navigation through architecture, ecology, and urban planning before our destination is reached.
Yet by integrating biophilic design into the structures of our cities, we, too, may hope for a future whose path is more than sustainable—a place where nature and architecture work closely together to maintain life as it blossoms on our relatively tiny planet.
