Bosco Verticale — Vertical Forest Building
Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) is a pair of residential towers in the Porta Nuova district of Milan, completed in 2014 and designed by the studio Boeri Architetti. Rising to 111 and 76 metres respectively, the towers host approximately 900 trees, 5,000 shrubs, and 11,000 perennial plants and ground cover plants across their cantilevered terraces — the equivalent of a forest spread across roughly 30,000 square metres of woodland, compressed into the vertical plane of two urban buildings.
At a glance
- Type
- Residential skyscrapers with integrated planted terraces
- Period
- Construction 2009–2014; completed October 2014
- Style
- Contemporary / sustainable urban architecture
- Location
- Via Gaetano de Castillia 11, 20124 Milan, Italy
- Coordinates
- 45.4858° N, 9.1900° E
- Architect
- Boeri Studio (Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca, Giovanni La Varra)
- Height
- Tower A: 111 m (26 floors); Tower B: 76 m (18 floors)
Overview
Bosco Verticale was the first building of its type to integrate a genuine forest ecosystem into a residential high-rise at scale. The project won the International Highrise Award in 2014 and is widely regarded as a landmark experiment in biophilic urbanism. The trees were selected for their wind tolerance and were pre-grown in a nursery for two years before installation to ensure they were large enough to survive the unusual conditions of an elevated terrace.
History
The towers are the centrepiece of the broader Porta Nuova urban regeneration project, which transformed a former railyard and underused industrial district north of Milan’s historic centre into a mixed-use neighbourhood anchored by the Unicredit Tower and the Biblioteca degli Alberi park. Boeri Studio received the commission in 2007 and developed the planting strategy in close collaboration with botanists and landscape architects. The structural engineering required reinforced concrete terraces with deep soil beds and drainage systems capable of bearing the load of mature trees.
What you see
Each apartment has a deep cantilevered terrace — between 3.5 and 9 metres — filled with mixed plantings that change colour with the seasons, making the building’s appearance dynamic throughout the year. The trees project beyond the facade plane, creating layered shadow and visual texture that is visible from the Via Gaetano de Castillia street level and from the Biblioteca degli Alberi park. At ground level, the towers sit on a publicly accessible plinth with ground planting that connects to the park beyond. The structural system uses reinforced concrete with bespoke steel connections to support the concentrated weight of the terrace soil and trees.
Cultural significance
Bosco Verticale has become a global reference point for biophilic design and vertical greening, inspiring similar projects in Lausanne, Eindhoven, Nanjing, and elsewhere. It represents a synthesis of ecological concerns and urban density — arguing that increasing a city’s green area need not require expanding its footprint. For Milan it has become an icon of the city’s post-industrial reinvention as a centre of design, finance, and innovation.
Practical information
Bosco Verticale is a private residential complex; the interior and terraces are not open to the public. The exterior is freely viewable from the Biblioteca degli Alberi park (BAM) and Via Gaetano de Castillia. The park itself is open daily and free to enter. The nearby Unicredit Tower and Eataly Milano Porta Nuova are also accessible to visitors.
Getting there
The nearest Metro station is Porta Nuova on Line M5 (Lilla), a 3-minute walk. Garibaldi FS station (M2 Verde, M5 Lilla, suburban rail lines) is approximately 8 minutes on foot and provides connections across the Milan metropolitan network. Several tram and bus lines serve Corso Como and Via Melchiorre Gioia nearby. From Milan Central Station, take the M2 to Garibaldi or the M5 directly to Porta Nuova.