A Stunning New Smog-Eating ‘Vertical Forest Tower’ Will Feature Luxury Apartments And 300 Species of Plants

A Stunning New Smog-Eating ‘Vertical Forest Tower’ Will Feature Luxury Apartments And 300 Species of Plants

By Business Insider | July 22, 2017 10:00AM

Stefano Boeri Architetti

A smog-eating tower will soon go up in the Netherlands city of Utrecht.

On the outside, 10,000 trees and shrubs — nearly half the amount found in New York’s Central Park — will fill the skyscraper’s facade, roof, and balconies. Inside, it will feature 200 luxury apartment units, restaurants, a fitness center, and offices.

Stefano Boeri Architetti

Called the Utrecht Vertical Forest, the 300-foot-tall tower will host around 30 different plant species. The plants will absorb 5.4 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year — the equivalent of about one car, according to designers from Italian architecture firm Stefano Boeri Architetti. In addition, the company said the tower will produce about 41,400 tons of oxygen annually, roughly the same as what 2.5 acres of forest generates.

Stefano Boeri Architetti

The mixed-use building is being billed as the “new healthy center of Utrecht,” since the plan calls for healthy eateries, a gym with yoga studios, bike parking, and a small public park. The Vertical Forest Hub, a new research center on urban forestation, will also have offices on the ground floor.