Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa September 2015 | Page 47

retreat, with a mixture of hi-tech infrastructure and
organic design. The projects goal is to use plant life and
redirected sunlight to improve the quality of high-rise
living.
Hydroponic irrigation systems help in making the
vegetation more manageable, making it possible to grow
a vertical wall of plant-life along the buildings façade.
The design attempts to replicate a natural cliff face,
with the vegetation running along the walls trapping
carbon dioxide while emitting oxygen, reducing energy
consumption and reflecting less heat back into the city
than traditional fixed shading would.
A gleaming collection of 320 motorized infrared
panels is situated at the top of the tower, having
been designed to capture sunlight and direct it down
to the shaded areas below. When the sun sets, the
mirrors become an urban chandelier, lighting up the
surrounding area in a flood of neon colours.
Vertical Forest Milan
The Bosco Verticale (Vertical Towers) of Milan
were inaugurated in October 2014 as part of a new
growth model for the regeneration of Italy’s urban
environment. The design aims to create a biological
habitat in a total area of 40,000 square meters with
an emphasis on creating new standards for sustainable
housing.
A selection of large and small trees can be seen
along the balconies across all four sides of the towers,
accompanied by 5,000 shrubs and 11,000 floral plants.
The layout of plant life has been specifically designed to
www.reimag.co.za

absorb dust in the air, helping to reduce the pollution
of the city.
This is a kind of biological architecture that refuses to
adopt a strictly technological and mechanical approach
to environmental sustainability,” said Boeri Studio, the
designers behind the towers. The diverse vegetation has
already attracted a thriving bird population along with
its first human residents, and the high-density towers
comprise 69, 000 square feet of office space and 650
commercial spaces. The buildings have attracted a large
amount of interest form international investors, with
roughly 20% of property buyers coming from overseas.

RESOURCES
www.dezeen.com
SEPTEMBER 2015 SA Real Estate Investor

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