Multifunctional and biodiverse: the new urban green models
Beyond aesthetics. From Milan to Singapore, the strategy is to adapt to the climate scenario with ecological buildings, portable forests, extensive depavatisation
6' min read
6' min read
P Bringing nature where there was none, with an articulated and innovative project that reinterprets the canons of green in the city. It happens in the flagship store of the Paola Lenti outdoor and indoor furniture brand, in a former industrial area in the Maciachini area of Milan. Here at the next Salone del Mobile, from 16 to 21 April, six models of urban greenery, scalable and replicable, will be presented. The project is signed by Pnat, a multidisciplinary design studio formed by architects, scientists and plant researchers, coordinated by Professor Stefano Mancuso (see interview on the right).
"It was an opportunity to conceive and realise a truly non-standard project, presenting six habitats with a very high level of biodiversity, perfectly integrated in the city," explains Cristiana Favretto, co-founder of the studio. "Generally, the approach to urban greenery is only aesthetic. Instead, these environments also benefit the neighbourhood and all the life forms that populate the city, such as pollinating insects"..
Among the proposed solutions are: the edible forest, with trees, including fruit trees, medicinal plants and mushrooms, which will contribute to the gastronomic offer of the space (which also has a restaurant and a hotel inside); the pollinator roof, created by the Daku company with an integrated low-water consumption irrigation system, which will host more than 30 different species and serve as a pit stop and refuge for these very important insects. There will also be two areas with tropical plants. "It makes sense to focus on species that are more resistant to climate change: the word native will take on different meanings in the coming years," Favretto continues. Finally, a wet garden, with a pool of water that will be home to plants, insects and small animals and does not require filtering. "It will be interesting to calculate - with the sensors we have developed - all the benefits produced by the species and make a 30-year projection. We need to find new ways of integrating nature into the built environment, because there is no space left in the city,' he concludes.
The Buildings
.At present, some 57% of the world's population lives in cities. This will rise from more than 4.5 billion people today to six in 2050: the battle for global sustainability will be played out in cities and the multiplier effect must be stimulated.
"Since 2017, clients have been proving increasingly receptive to our approach of greenery as an enhancement of the experience of those who will be living in the spaces and of enhancing the value of the real estate portfolio," explains Stefano Carone - founder and managing partner of the architectural firm Il Prisma. "Green has become a design material on a par with others, to which we now devote up to 5-6% of the total budget of a redevelopment for exteriors and up to 10% for interiors. "Il Prisma often proposes rain gardens, storage tanks to manage rainwater, populated by plants that absorb and slow down runoff. It is always possible to find solutions to integrate greenery into spaces, and to customise them according to the identity of the clients. "In the Lvmh Beauty headquarters in Milan, we transformed the terrace into a lush garden all year round, with an area dedicated to aromatic herbs and a lawn area, where one can meditate and exercise. In the almost completed redevelopment of Via Oglio 12 (Scalo di Porta Romana), a car park has become a furnished garden and the façade will be a green wall, benefiting a highly urbanised neighbourhood,' Carone concludes.
Brand connect
Newsletter RealEstate+
La newsletter premium dedicata al mondo del mercato immobiliare con inchieste esclusive, notizie, analisi ed approfondimenti
Abbonati