Milan?s Bosco Verticale uses over 11,000 plants to improve air quality while increasing density Welcome to Home of the Future, a four-part video series co-produced by Curbed and The Verge. Each month, we'll take you inside one innovative home and explore how the technology of today informs the way people will live in the future. To follow along, stay tuned for new video episodes on our Facebook page. The first location" An inhabitable high-rise forest.
Air pollution is the single biggest environmental health risk the world faces today, with outdoor pollution linked to 3 million deaths every year. It?s no wonder designers and engineers are racing to come up with all kinds of air-purifying solutions, from smog-sucking towers and bikes to moss-covered walls. But one of the most impressive ideas so far can be found in Milan, Italy, world design capital?and one of the most polluted cities in Europe. The brainchild of Italian architect Stefano Boeri, Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) is the concept of residential high-rises packed with greenery, which can help cities build for density while improving air quality. The first ?vertical forests? were realized in 2014 in the Porta Nuova Isola area of Milan, where two towers?with over 100 apartments between them?together host nearly 500 medium and large trees, 300 small trees, 5,000 shrubs, and 11,000 plants.

Bosco Verticale in Milan, Italy | Boeri Studio

The science is simple: Trees are the cheapest a...