Project Dates

Start: 2017

The Story

Trudo Vertical Forest designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti accommodates 125 social housing units on 19 floors, flexible to meet future needs and capable of defining new housing standards for the sector. Each flat has a limited surface area calibrated to the type of users for whom it is intended (less than 50 square metres), while having the spatial extension offered by terraces of more than 4 square metres and the natural micro-environment formed by the presence on each of 1 tree and 20 bushes. All in all, the Trudo Vertical Forest residential tower houses no less than 135 trees of various species on its four façades, spread over an elevation of 75 metres, to which is added about 5.200 smaller shrubs and plants and other vegetation, for a total of about 8.500
plants. The building’s green facades provide an impactful solution to the heat island effect. The water system is also circular: rainwater is collected and stored in four 20.000-litre tanks under the building and reused for irrigating the various pots. The main structure of the building is made up of prefabricated concrete modules and in-situ machined elements, while the design of the green façade exploits the combination of six types of pots, different in size and shape, specifically designed to house different plants, which allow for a great variety in design, as well as a significant reduction in costs and construction time.

Success Factor | Hero Moment

The design choices introduced in the Trudo Vertical Forest are mainly aimed at lowering construction and maintenance costs, meeting the needs of the social housing typology. The building’s green facades are not only a relief from the monotony of concrete and steel, but provide an impactful solution from the heat island effect. The circular water system allows to and store in four 20.000-liter tanks underneath the building rainwater and reuse it to irrigate the various pots. Trudo Vertical Forest won the Energy Global Award and Global Human Settlements Award in 2022. The project embodies the design approach of the Stefano Boeri Architetti – “Green Obsession”, which awarded the 2023 UN SDGs Action Award in the “Inspire” category by the United Nations.