Milan built living apartments! 🪴🌱

11 May 2026 · 1 min

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In this monologue, Dan Novaes explains how Milan’s Bosco Verticale transforms high‑rise apartment towers into vertical forests. He describes the concept of covering balconies with shrubs and full‑size trees, turning the building itself into a green space that absorbs CO₂, produces oxygen, and cools the urban environment while providing habitats for birds and insects. Novaes also outlines the engineering hurdles—weight distribution, integrated irrigation, and ongoing maintenance—that had to be solved to make the living façade possible. The piece frames the project as a paradigm shift in urban design, suggesting that innovation can come from rethinking existing structures rather than expanding outward.

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Bosco Verticale turned apartment buildings into living forests. In most cities, green space is limited. Parks are separated from buildings. Nature exists on the ground. But in Milan, architects tried something different. They built towers covered with trees and plants. Each balcony holds vegetation, from small shrubs to full-sized trees. The buildings act like vertical forests. They absorb carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, and reduce heat in the city. They also create habitats for birds and insects. Residents don't just live in a building, they live Surrounded by nature, high above the streets, the design required careful planning. Weight distribution, irrigation systems, and maintenance had to be integrated into the structure. Bosco Verticale didn't add a park; it turned the building itself into one. Sometimes innovation is not about expanding outward; it's about rethinking what already exists and using space differently.