Bosco Verticale, Milano by Thomas Ledl licensed under the terms of CC-by-sa 4.0
Actually two separate residential towers, they host a total of over 700 trees—hence the name, which is Italian for “vertical forest.” They are also home to 5,000 shrubs and 11,000 perennials.
Horticulturalists and botanists had to be involved to ensure the plants could survive in this urban environment—and that the balconies could hold them all.
The amazing amounts of greenery are nice to look at, but they also serve a practical purpose: they reduce noise, moderate temperature and mitigate smog.
Last year it won the International Highrise Award, bestowed every two years for a building over 100 meters tall. It beat out 25 other nominees from all over the world for the honor.
