CRA+BIG Capitaland Tower – Image by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group.

Sustainable – Architects around the world are rising the bar for sustainable high-rise architecture. Archipanic selected 5 verdant skyscrapers highlighting innovation both vertical and green… From Singapore to Paris and Tokyo!

• RELATED STORIES: Discover more eclectic towers on Archipanic…

CapitaLand Tower by BIG and CRA in Singapore

Carlo Ratti Associati and BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group are building a 280m tall high-rise in Singapore’s financial district which fuses tropical nature with contemporary architecture. At the ground floor, visitors will be met by a public rainforest plaza and park.

Sandwiched between offices and residences a mesmerizing 30m high open-air and multi-level garden features a spiraling botanical promenade. The vertical park is a tranquil haven of winding walkways and comfortable seating areas for working outdoors or simply lounging in the shade. At about 100m above ground, the tropical garden will feature a jungle gym, treetop cocoons, sky hammocks and a café.

Malka Architectes’ parasitics sustainable extensions in Paris

Paris based studio Malka Architecture conceived parasitic extensions mounted on apartment buildings which could reduce the structure’s energy consumption to a quarter of what it is now.

PLUG-IN CITY 75 – Courtesy of Malka Architecture.

Titled Plug-in City 75, the project features boxes which would be fabricated off-site using a responsibly sourced wood, before being “plugged” into the building’s exterior. Each modular box would respond to the requirements of each occupant, and could be tailored to their particular needs. Read more about Stephan Malka’s parasitic architecture…

Sumitomo Forestry Co’s wooden verdant towers aim to turn cities into forests

© 俯瞰図

In Tokyo, the Japanese wood products company Sumitomo Forestry Co is proposing to build the world’s tallest tower to be made of wood… and covered with greenery “making over cities as forests”. The 350 metre, 70-floor high-rise will become an example of “urban development that is kind for humans” explain at Sumitomo Forestry Co.

© スカイロビー

The new building will be predominantly wooden, with just 10% steel. Its internal framework of columns, beams and braces – made of a hybrid of the two materials – will take account of Japan’s high rate of seismic activity. The greenery connects from the ground to the top floors through the balcony part, and it offers a view of biodiversity in an urban setting. The interior structure is of a pure wood, producing a calm space that exudes the warmth and gentleness of wood. Nikken Sekkei Ltd. collaborated in the design of this building.

Stefano Boeri’s first vertical forest social-housing tower in Eindhoven

Stefano Boeri Architetti: Eindhoven Trudo Vertical Forest – 2018.

Italian architect Stefano Boeri raises the bar for his vertical forest model in Eindhoven, Netherlands. After the debut in Milan, the new Trudo Vertical Forest will be destined for use by low-income social groups, particularly young people with an urban lifestyle.

The 19 floors of the Tower will house apartments 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”, declares Stefano Boeri.

Sou Fujimoto’s verdant tower in Nice merges with French Riviera architecture

Joia Meìridia – Meìridia Tower – Credit: Sou Fujimoto Architects + My Lucky Pixels.

The masterplan for the new Joia Meìridia neighbourhood in Nice, Côte d’Azure – France, features a 54-metre-high tower with undulating, tree-covered canopies by Sou Fujimoto.

Meìridia Tower – Credit: Sou Fujimoto Architects + My Lucky Pixels.

The white building will be wrapped in wavy contoured terraces supported by thin columns, which double as canopies for the balconies below. Cut-outs, some slatted and some left open, will allow a controlled mix of light and shade to reach the levels below, which all feature greenery in some form. Read more…