China Welcomes Asia’s First Vertical Forest

Perhaps the most famous name in green architecture, architect Stefano Boeri has set his sights on a new market: Asia. It was announced this week that the renowned designer of Milan’s Bosco Verticale will bring a similar project to the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing.

Given growing concerns over air quality in China, Boeri’s creation serves a particularly practical purpose in Nanjing’s densely populated Pukou district. The idea is simple: The two greenery-laden towers absorb ambient carbon dioxide while simultaneously introducing oxygen into the surrounding air. Preliminary estimates suggest that the building will be able to absorb some 25 tons of CO2 each year and generate 60 kilograms of oxygen per day. This is all thanks to the 1,100 trees and 2,500 hanging plants affixed to each tower’s façade.

The sustainable design is meant to curb rising pollution in Chinese cities.

The buildings, which will be the first of their kind in Asia, are mixed-use in every sense. The smaller of the two is already designated as a Hyatt hotel, while the larger is set to house a museum, a rooftop club, and even an architecture school dedicated to sustainable design. Slated for completion in 2018, the project will serve as a prototype for Boeri’s designs in other pollution-threatened Chinese cities.