Wonderwoods is Italian architect Stefano Boeri’s latest green high-rise design in the Netherlands. The project started with a pear tree and a currant bush, the first of the 300 trees and 10,000 plants to be placed here.
Stefano Boeri, the 66-year-old Italian architect debuted his vertical garden in Milan a decade ago, and his latest concept will be located in Utrecht. Bosco Verticale in Milan’s Porta Nuova district inspired a new generation of urban afforestation projects, and Boeri’s architecture office has since become very popular – from Italy to France, Switzerland to Albania, Cairo and Dubai. The Wonderwoods Vertical Forest is being built in the Utrecht neighbourhood between Croeselaan and Jaarbeursboulevard and will be ready by summer 2024 – NRG report writes.
What are the advantages of vertical forest buildings?
This urban ecosystem, according to the architects’ estimates, can produce about 41 tons of oxygen per year, while sequestering CO2 and capturing fine dust particles. In addition to purifying the air, plants also reduce noise pollution in the city. In summer, the shade of the foliage moderates the heat island effect – reducing the temperature on facades and inside buildings.
This has a significant impact on the local microclimate and the well-being of the inhabitants, taking into account the temperature values associated with climate change. The benefits of energy savings will also be felt, which will mainly be seen in the use of air conditioning equipment.
Maintenance by flying gardeners
The designs of Wonderwoods were inspired by the vegetation of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park. A group of “flying gardeners” from the Royal Ginkel Group will descend from the roof of the building to tend the tower’s plants, as is currently the case at Milan’s Bosco Verticale.
Towers of apartments and offices
The Wonderwoods project consists of two towers, 105 and 70 meters high, which will house apartments and offices. The taller tower becomes a vertical forest. In total, the buildings will house 200 different types of apartments and 15,000 sqm of offices.
“Wonderwoods is a project we are particularly proud of as it will host functions open to both the city and residents. In this way, it contributes to the expansion of knowledge about urban and vertical forestry, allowing more and more users to enjoy the positive effects of being close to plants and trees,” says Francesca Cesa Bianchi architect, associate and project director of the Stefano Boeri Architetti architectural office.
Utrecht is not the first Dutch city to get a vertical forest. Other projects by Stefano Boeri Architetti include the Trudo Vertical Forest, built in Eindhoven in 2021. The vertical forest in Eindhoven is the first in the world to offer social rental apartments that operate at discounted rents and are designed to accommodate young people and students.
photos: stefanoboeriarchitetti.net
