A visit to the Bosco Verticale

l and innovative highrise last November. Sustainability, design, and the quality of the interiors together with integration into the existing urban context are the key requisites for the coveted prize first awarded in 2003 reserved to architects and developers whose works are at least 100 meters high. At the heart of the Bosco Verticale Project, defined by Stefano Boeri as “a new concept skyscraper where trees and people can live together”, lies the relationship between nature, architecture, and environmental sustainability. The building features two residential towers 80 and 112 meters tall with 19 and 27 floors respectively capable of “hosting” 800 trees of from 3 to 9 meters in height, 11,000 other plants divided among perennials and ground cover, and 5,000 bushes, for a total of over 100 different species of plant. We visited an apartment on the twenty-second floor of Tower E, the higher of the two that make up the Bosco Verticale. This 280 squaremeter home has 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and an 88 square meter terrace. As expected, the view was breathtaking.

Innovation

In order to estimate the impact of wind on the BoscoVerticale forest, Milan Polytechnic and Miami’s Florida International University conducted specific tests on the planting system to make it capable of withstanding winds of up to 190 km/hour speed under exceptionally high stress conditions. In addition to the patented system that anchors their roots to a mesh that resists the gusts of wind, the strength of the floors of the balconies that bear the weight of the tanks holding the plants was tripled. The BoscoVerticale building does not only offer 20,000 square meters of forest and underbrush that densify the City’s greenery even high above the ground, it also provides other innovations in ecological sustainability, such as the system for the recycling and treatment of gray water for use in irrigating the gardens with a truly minimal waste of water.

Acoustic insulation by Isolmant

Isolmant BiPlus underfloor soundproofing material was laid together with Isolmant Fascia Perimetrale perimeter sealing strip for the horizontal partitioning between one floor and the next that houses the wiring, water piping, and floor heating system. Isolmant BiPlus is recommended wherever elevated acoustic comfort and resistance to walking impact and tearing are required, a solution that is suited to both one-layer and two-layer structures. In BoscoVerticale buildings, Isolmant BiPlus was laid beneath the paneling for the housing of the radiating heating system and the flooring screed. Low dynamic rigidity and high, long-term compressive strength make Isolmant BiPlus an ideal acoustic insulation product capable of guaranteeing the best footstep noise insulation while keeping the system’s resonance frequency low and ensuring longlasting soundproofing and mechanical performance at the same time.

Mapei intervention during laying

One part of the work performed indoors required the use of products and systems by Mapei, the company that also provided consultancy service and technical support during both design and the various laying phases.The marble was laid using white improved Elastorapid two-component, high-performance, highflexibility quick-setting and drying two-component cementitious adhesive with no vertical slip and long open time, and Keraflex Maxi S1, a high-performance cementitious adhesive with Low Dust technology. Mapegrout Rapido controlled shrinkage mortar was used wherever necessary.