This Apartment Building in Australia Will Be Covered in 20,000 Plants

“Urban Forest is probably the greenest we can design with the current ‘greening’ tools and regulations available to us,” Koichi Takada, the studio’s founder, told Dezeen.

Photo: Koichi Takada Architects

The idea behind the project is to promote sustainable structures and the use of eco-materials which has become even more crucial in light of the pandemic. “Post Covid-19, I think it’s a great opportunity to pause and rethink and not just adapt, but shift the paradigm from industrial to natural. Concrete, steel, and glass are very hard and solid industrial materials. Let’s call them dead materiality. We need to be embracing more living materiality, living architecture,” Takada said.

Photo: Koichi Takada Architects

Takada plans on using “green concrete” that is a low-carbon version of the original material and contains 40 percent less Portland cement than traditional concrete. Additionally, the units will be built in a way that reduces waste production and shortens construction time. All of the timber sourced for the project will be eco-friendly and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Each apartment will have a private veranda-style balcony and access to the rooftop garden and shared swimming pool. The building will also feature a community center where visitors can learn details about the surrounding plant species. The future of eco-friendly construction is looking very promising, and projects like this serve as an inspiration for the global movement.