A new conceptual building design called “treescrapers” is drawing the excitement of urban developers. The speculative architecture combines environmental gains while completing new building constructions.
In other words, think of the buildings as the fusion of a skyscraper with trees. While the idea currently exists mostly in theory, artistic designs of the buildings look quite stunning and futuristic.
However, while the building technique is still in its infancy, there have already been some success stories. A treescraper building called Bosco Verticale has been constructed in Milan, Italy by architect Stefano Boeri. The structure was named the “Best Tall Building Worldwide for 2015” by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. With this major success, it could open the door for more treescraper projects in the future.
Boeri has also announced plans for another treescraper project in Switzerland. The building will be called Tour des Cèdres. The details of this project are still largely unknown.
However, there are some concerns about treescrapers. For one, the additional reinforcements that are needed to support the trees could actually increase the carbon emissions of the buildings. Another issue is that the buildings could have a hard time sustaining a proper temperature. Indeed, while the buildings might look cool and futuristic, they could actually be less sustainable and less efficient than traditional buildings.
As more treescrapers get constructed, additional research will be conducted in order to determine if they are sustainable forms of architecture. Whether or not they work as intended, credit must be given to the designers for trying to combine nature with urban development. As more natural life is destroyed in order to make way for an expanding human population, it’s good whenever someone tries to create a solution to the problem.
There’s definitely something to be said about these buildings, as they innovatively assimilate nature into their designs. While the buildings themselves might not be natural, they incorporate the natural world into their architecture in stunning fashion. It really is an amazing phenomenon. If the idea does end up flourishing, world cities would certainly look nice in going green.
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