Two identical Lego-like buildings interwoven with greenery leave a distinct mark on the Milan skyline in the Isola/Porta Nuova neck of the woods. Visitors always ask about these intriguing, unusual structures, the Bosco Verticale (Verticale Forest).
These residential towers were designed by architect Stefano Boeri and contain the amount of greenery you’d find in one forest hectare (hence the name); they’re an inventive way of making a major city a little more green. (Even though Milan is filled with greenery!) It’s said that the buildings contain 730 trees ( 5,000 shrubs, and 11,000 perennials.
Construction began in 2009 and they were inaugurated in 2014 (the year I moved to Milan!), and has since won a slew of coveted architecture awards like the International Highrise Award in 2014 and in 2015, it was named the Best Tall Building in Europe by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
Photos: Christos Barbalis
Metro: M2 Gioia; M5 Isola
