Italian architect Stefano Boeri's firm Stefano Boeri Architetti has unveiled plans for its first vertical social housing project in Eindhoven, Netherlands, which will be fully covered by 125 trees, 5,200 shrubs and plants - and only floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies will be appeared throughout the building.

Named Trudo Vertical Forest, the 75-meter skyscraper will be the first vertical forest adopted by a social housing project in Eindhoven and the fully green-infilled high-rise will serve for low-income social groups, particularly young people with an urban lifestyle in the city. 

Boeri, commonly known with his various vertical forest projects proposed for Milan, Nanjing, Utrecht, Tirana, Lausanne, Paris, the green-lover architect has recently launched a campaign to multiply the presence of forests and trees in many cities in an online video. 

The Trudo Vertical Forest will be developed by Eindhoven housing association Sint-Trudo and will be responsible for maintaining the natural life of various plants to be able to live in such a kind of high-rise building. 

Reaching at 19-story, the tower will house apartments, proposing 125 social housing units, be rented out at affordable rates and graced by balconies with hundreds of trees and plants in a wide variety of species.

"The high-rise building of Eindhoven confirms that it is possible to combine the great challenges of climate change with those of housing shortages. Urban forestry is not only necessary to improve the environment of the world’s cities but also an opportunity to improve the living conditions of less fortunate city dwellers," said Stefano Boeri.

Functional diagram

The Trudo Vertical Forest will create a green habitat in the metropolitan environment to facilitate the development of biodiversity, an authentic eco-system with over 70 different plant species able to counteract atmospheric pollution, thanks to the capacity of trees to absorb over 50 tons of carbon dioxide every year.

Studio Laura Gatti, managed by agronomist Laura Gatti (who has contributed to the Vertical Forest in Milan and other urban forestry projects by Stefano Boeri Architetti) will design each plant component of the Trudo Vertical Forest and will work closely with Du Pré Groenprojecten in Helmond and the plant nursery Van den Berk in Sint-Oedenrode. 

Typical floor plan

"The Trudo Vertical Forest sets new living standards. Each apartment will have a surface area of under 50 sq m and the exclusive benefit of 1 tree, 20 shrubs and over 4 sq m of terrace. Thanks to the use of prefabrication, the rationalization of technical solutions for the facade, and the consequent optimization of resources, this will be the first Vertical Forest prototype destined for social housing," stated Francesca Cesa Bianchi, Project Director of Stefano Boeri Architetti.

"The particular characteristic of the buildings in the Vertical Forest family is that of conceiving vegetation and living nature as actual cornerstones of the architectural projects, rather than mere ornamental elements," said  Stefano Boeri Architetti.

Following Milan, Lausanne, Nanjing, Paris, Tirana, Shanghai, Utrecht and Liuzhou Forest City, it is now the turn of Eindhoven, the latest piece to be added to a great urban forestry design by Stefano Boeri Architetti.

Project facts

Location: Strijp-S, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Client: Sint Trudo
General contractor: Stam + De Koning

Architecture

Stefano Boeri Architetti

Partner: Stefano Boeri

Project Director: Francesca Cesa Bianchi 

Project Leader: Paolo Russo

Team: Giulia Chiatante; Elisa Versari

Inbo

Project Coordinator: Aron Bogers
Landscape consultant: Studio Laura Gatti
Façade consultant: SCE Project
Structure: Adviesbureau Tielemans
MEP Engineer: Ten Hooven

Landscape contractor: Dupre

All visualisations © The Big Picture Visual

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