World of Design: Trees Bring Nature to a High-Rise in Milan
Discover ‘the most beautiful and innovative skyscraper in the world’ — the foliage-filled Bosco Verticale — and tour one of its apartments
Milan is a city that’s moving up. Its urban landscape is changing dramatically with a rising skyline that’s pushing architecture toward new forms. Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest), an innovative residential project completed in 2014, is part of that upward urban movement. The LEED Gold-certified project, designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti, offers an interesting vision of a future metropolis. Bosco Verticale’s two towers show how nature and architecture can exist in perfect harmony — with vegetation that is an integral part of the building structure, not simply ornamentation.
In 2015, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, an international organization sponsored by the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, chose Bosco Verticale as “the most beautiful and innovative skyscraper in the world.”
“With this building, there’s a relationship between architecture and nature that’s very different from the traditional,” Boeri says. “Bosco Verticale is ‘a skyscraper for trees that also takes in humans.’ Right from the beginning, it was thought of as a space built around the presence of trees. This made the architecture innovative, and its design was an experiment for us. It’s an experiment that produced something unique, and in that sense, the attempt to get outside the box was probably very much appreciated.”
“With this building, there’s a relationship between architecture and nature that’s very different from the traditional,” Boeri says. “Bosco Verticale is ‘a skyscraper for trees that also takes in humans.’ Right from the beginning, it was thought of as a space built around the presence of trees. This made the architecture innovative, and its design was an experiment for us. It’s an experiment that produced something unique, and in that sense, the attempt to get outside the box was probably very much appreciated.”
Choosing plants for the Bosco Verticale required taking into account the sustainability of the vegetation. The plants had to have precise resistance features: not only against the wind, but also against parasites. They also needed to be simple to maintain.
The more than 17,000 plantings include 780 full-size trees of 60 species on all sides of both towers for a suspended-garden visual effect. Among the plantings are holly oak, ornamental apple and beech trees, as well as a great mass of smaller plants, such as lavender, azaleas and camellias, positioned among the trees with taller crowns. The plantings provide shade in summer and help filter the air. The number of trees in each building is the equivalent of 1.7 acres of forestland and 18.5 acres of an urban area with single-family dwellings. The vegetation is watered with a greywater filtration system.
The recently released book A Vertical Forest (Un Bosco Verticale) tells the story of the project and explains, with the help of drawings and photos, how to reproduce the idea in other cities.
The more than 17,000 plantings include 780 full-size trees of 60 species on all sides of both towers for a suspended-garden visual effect. Among the plantings are holly oak, ornamental apple and beech trees, as well as a great mass of smaller plants, such as lavender, azaleas and camellias, positioned among the trees with taller crowns. The plantings provide shade in summer and help filter the air. The number of trees in each building is the equivalent of 1.7 acres of forestland and 18.5 acres of an urban area with single-family dwellings. The vegetation is watered with a greywater filtration system.
The recently released book A Vertical Forest (Un Bosco Verticale) tells the story of the project and explains, with the help of drawings and photos, how to reproduce the idea in other cities.
The project has become an example and is being duplicated near Lausanne, Switzerland, for instance, with the Torre dei Cedri (Tower of Cedars). “This is the beautiful thing about my profession — being able to do new things, to create something that did not exist before,” Boeri says. “This is a source of pride for me, because Milan has produced this unprecedented architecture, which can make us hope and believe our future could be greener — not just with parks, but also with architecture that has greenery as an essential element of its structure.”
“The towers represent one of the most successful architectural examples in the new area of Porta Nuova in Milan,” says architect Sebastiano Provenzano, who teaches in the engineering and architecture department at the University of Palermo in Italy. “The project delivers a conceptual innovation, without forgetting the austere and composed traditional architectural style of the city.”
Photo by Paolo Rosselli
“The towers represent one of the most successful architectural examples in the new area of Porta Nuova in Milan,” says architect Sebastiano Provenzano, who teaches in the engineering and architecture department at the University of Palermo in Italy. “The project delivers a conceptual innovation, without forgetting the austere and composed traditional architectural style of the city.”
Photo by Paolo Rosselli
How does one live in a building that is widely admired and has earned many awards? And what is the tie between the vegetation outside and the interior spaces? We look inside one of the Bosco Verticale apartments and speak with the apartment’s owner.
Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: Simona Pizzi, her husband and the youngest of their three children
Location: Milan, in the Porta Nuova area, bordering the historic Isola neighborhood
Size: 2,336 square feet (217 square meters) inside and 936 square feet (87 square meters) on two terraces outside
Year of construction: 2014
That’s interesting: The apartment forms a backdrop for the family’s great passion — contemporary art.
Simona Pizzi owns a sunny apartment on the 14th floor of the highest of the two Bosco Verticale towers. She explains what it’s like to reside in a beautiful “living building” with a breathtaking view.
Photo by Federico Floriani
Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: Simona Pizzi, her husband and the youngest of their three children
Location: Milan, in the Porta Nuova area, bordering the historic Isola neighborhood
Size: 2,336 square feet (217 square meters) inside and 936 square feet (87 square meters) on two terraces outside
Year of construction: 2014
That’s interesting: The apartment forms a backdrop for the family’s great passion — contemporary art.
Simona Pizzi owns a sunny apartment on the 14th floor of the highest of the two Bosco Verticale towers. She explains what it’s like to reside in a beautiful “living building” with a breathtaking view.
Photo by Federico Floriani
The apartment is a neutral, light and quiet space. Furnished fairly minimally, it features warm beige tones in the living areas and gray tones in the sleeping areas.
“Coima Image oversaw the interior design,” Pizzi says. “We worked with them to choose the furnishings, but I chose all the furniture personally. We wanted to live in a home where the contemporary art had its own weight; we didn’t want a furniture showroom. In fact, the furnishing is extremely minimalist and limited to essentials.”
Sculpture: Paolo Grassino
“Coima Image oversaw the interior design,” Pizzi says. “We worked with them to choose the furnishings, but I chose all the furniture personally. We wanted to live in a home where the contemporary art had its own weight; we didn’t want a furniture showroom. In fact, the furnishing is extremely minimalist and limited to essentials.”
Sculpture: Paolo Grassino
A piece by noted English sculptor and land artist Richard Long dominates the living room. Crafted in a single afternoon for this apartment, the work uses color and materials to develop one of the artist’s favorite shapes: the circle.
This living area features upholstered furniture from Poltrona Frau. For the center of the conversation area, Pizzi chose the classic Tavolo con Ruote (Table With Wheels) from FontanaArte, designed by Gae Aulenti in 1980.
This living area features upholstered furniture from Poltrona Frau. For the center of the conversation area, Pizzi chose the classic Tavolo con Ruote (Table With Wheels) from FontanaArte, designed by Gae Aulenti in 1980.
On the wall in the sunniest part of the large living room is an ethereal canvas by the Piedmontese artist Valerio Berruti. The window holds an expansive work created by another important English artist, Tony Cragg, titled Social Situation.
“I didn’t want to fill this important part of the living area simply with a chaise longue and a table. I wanted to give it its due value,” Pizzi says. “So I chose a piece of art that had a beautiful intensity, but also a certain material breadth.”
The windows in the apartment provide changing views over the city. These alter not only with the seasons, but also with the passing hours, providing a fresh spectacle every day.
The apartment is equipped with a home control system. A central computer near the entrance controls the lights, security alarm and electrical systems. These can be activated by tablet or smartphone.
Chandeliers: Raimond, Moooi; floor lamp: Mite, Foscarini
The apartment is equipped with a home control system. A central computer near the entrance controls the lights, security alarm and electrical systems. These can be activated by tablet or smartphone.
Chandeliers: Raimond, Moooi; floor lamp: Mite, Foscarini
The furnishings in the living area are a good balance between midcentury modern and contemporary design. The materials were carefully chosen to provide a neutral setting for the artworks and are mostly in shades of off-white, chocolate brown or black.
The large dining table, a vintage piece with heavy metal legs lightened by a glass top, was designed by Mario Bellini. Six brown leather LC7 chairs from Cassina complement it. They were designed by Charlotte Perriand in 1927 and today are considered cult objects for lovers of midcentury modern design.
The large dining table, a vintage piece with heavy metal legs lightened by a glass top, was designed by Mario Bellini. Six brown leather LC7 chairs from Cassina complement it. They were designed by Charlotte Perriand in 1927 and today are considered cult objects for lovers of midcentury modern design.
The tomato serving plate from Memphis Milano was designed by Michele De Lucchi in 1985.
“I wanted the kitchen to be an integral part of the living room,” Pizzi says. “The other apartments have a masonry wall that divides the two spaces, but I preferred a solution that gave more of an idea of continuity, hence using sliding doors with opaque glass.” The dividing doors are from Molteni&C.
The kitchen, with off-white lacquered cabinetry by Dada, is good-sized (there’s a separate laundry room) and extremely functional. It consists of one wall of base and wall cabinets plus an island.
The kitchen, with off-white lacquered cabinetry by Dada, is good-sized (there’s a separate laundry room) and extremely functional. It consists of one wall of base and wall cabinets plus an island.
In the master bedroom, a spacious walk-in wardrobe is located on the other side of the wall behind the bed. The side walls are covered in a gray wallpaper with a subtle metallic sheen. This serves to emphasize the functional space while maintaining the chromatic harmony of the environment, based on shades of gray.
In the sleeping area, the windows are equipped with electric curtains and blinds.
In the sleeping area, the windows are equipped with electric curtains and blinds.
The focal point of the room is a curved Fornasetti cabinet with a Palladio design, complemented by the Flos Snoopy lamp, designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. The black and white colors and the stylistic caliber of the two elements create a contrasting balance between the warm softness of the honey-colored oak flooring and the light gray of the walls and furnishings.
“I’ve always loved Fornasetti very much,” Pizzi says. “When we saw this piece, my husband and I couldn’t resist.”
The master bathroom sports soft beige and cream tones. The oak floor creates continuity with the rest of the apartment and integrates well with the large slate tiles on the walls. All this is accentuated by just a few strong and colorful furnishing accents. The Flamingo table from Memphis Milano, also designed by De Lucchi, is unmistakable.
The apartment also has two additional bathrooms.
The apartment also has two additional bathrooms.
The youngest child’s room is more colorful than the rest of the apartment, with touches of bold red. It’s also furnished with interesting design pieces, including the large, playful Nerocactus from Gufram.
The study is also the bedroom for the older children when they stop by for the night. It faces the Isola neighborhood, a historic area of the city. Isola is densely populated and dominated by the yellow houses that typify the outer ring of central Milan.
The couple chose this area of the city to be near a train station. “I travel a lot and didn’t want to get around by car,” Pizzi says. “Our offices are in Turin, and I wanted something that made my life less hectic. Today, I catch the train just below the building [at the Porta Garibaldi], and in three-quarters of an hour, I’m at the Porta Susa station in Turin. It’s a completely different life.”
The triptych over the sofa is by the Piedmontese artist Paolo Mussat Sartor.
The couple chose this area of the city to be near a train station. “I travel a lot and didn’t want to get around by car,” Pizzi says. “Our offices are in Turin, and I wanted something that made my life less hectic. Today, I catch the train just below the building [at the Porta Garibaldi], and in three-quarters of an hour, I’m at the Porta Susa station in Turin. It’s a completely different life.”
The triptych over the sofa is by the Piedmontese artist Paolo Mussat Sartor.
From the 14th floor, the view of the city is expansive. The Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral) and Torre Velasca (Velasca Tower) are visible from the living room, while the mountains toward Lecco, north of Milan, can be seen distinctly from the study.
“The windows of the Bosco Verticale are true ‘living pictures,’ which are constantly changing and enriching themselves,” Pizzi says. “I love living here very much. I call this apartment my ‘high-altitude dream.’”
Pouf: Bard, Internoitaliano; lamp: May Day, Flos
“The windows of the Bosco Verticale are true ‘living pictures,’ which are constantly changing and enriching themselves,” Pizzi says. “I love living here very much. I call this apartment my ‘high-altitude dream.’”
Pouf: Bard, Internoitaliano; lamp: May Day, Flos
Winter in the Bosco Verticale provides a romantic and somewhat melancholy panorama. (The photos at the beginning of the story show the building in its fullest phase, during springtime when the plants are greenest.) Below the great structures that serve as garden rows and boundaries for the terraces, ornamental plants and small bushes provide a pleasant green spot at each level. This continues as the view rises toward an unbounded landscape, settling on the massive Resegone mountain at the foot of the Alps, mentioned several times in the novel The Betrothed by 19th-century Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni.
“When I arrived here in September 2014, the plants were much smaller,” Pizzi recalls. “There’s been crazy growth in one year, and the flowering in spring is marvelous. We just have to admire and enjoy the vegetation. The condominium handles all the care and maintenance, including doing work each month inside the apartments, and coordinating ‘flying gardeners,’ who climb down from the top to prune and arrange the plants with larger crowns. The types of plants vary from one floor to the next. The planting is strictly regulated based on the height and exposure.”
“When I arrived here in September 2014, the plants were much smaller,” Pizzi recalls. “There’s been crazy growth in one year, and the flowering in spring is marvelous. We just have to admire and enjoy the vegetation. The condominium handles all the care and maintenance, including doing work each month inside the apartments, and coordinating ‘flying gardeners,’ who climb down from the top to prune and arrange the plants with larger crowns. The types of plants vary from one floor to the next. The planting is strictly regulated based on the height and exposure.”
The skyscraper has about 70 apartments (about three per floor), but few are still available. It has a 24-hour concierge service. The apartment on the top floor (about 5,920 square feet) belongs to the sovereign fund of the Emir of Qatar, who wanted it as a pied-à-terre. In the taller skyscraper, two players for the Italian soccer club Inter also have their homes: Ivan Perišić and Felipe Melo.
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Photo by Paolo Rosselli