Paris the latest to embrace trees on buildings
The push to go green is seeing “vertical forests” becoming increasingly common in building designs.
Already Milan, Sydney, Singapore, Beijing and Belgium are among the cities to embrace the concept of buildings covered in plants and trees, with construction planned or underway for major projects in each of those locales.
There are even concepts for a forest city on Mars, which was spruiked as a potential option if global warming ever caused Earth’s major cities to flood.
And now Paris will join them, with a vertical forest planned for a new tower at Villiers sur Marne, in the city’s eastern area.
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The project, named “Forêt Blanche”, is the work of Stefano Boeri Architects and will feature a 54m high tower made almost entirely out of wood, with residential apartments planned for the upper floors, while offices and commercial spaces will make up the lower levels.
The 54m French tower will be made predominantly of wooden structures.
There’ll be enviable views over Paris for residents and workers, of course, but it’s the 2000 trees, shrubs and plants lining the building’s exterior that will be its calling card.
The greenery is the equivalent of a hectare of of forest – 10 times the surface area on which the building will sit.
The Forêt Blanche building (bottom) will feature views over Paris.
The building’s east and west sides will take in sunlight all day, reportedly providing natural illumination and ventilation to the apartments.
Apartments will fill the top floors at Forêt Blanche, while the lower floors will take on commercial uses.
