A Vertical Forest signed Stefano Boeri Architetti will be also in Paris. The green building - which will be called La Forêt Blanche, promoted by the Compagnie de Phalsbourg - will be built in the Villiers sur Marne Municipality, in the east of the Parisian metropolitan area, and will consist of a tower 54 meters high made entirely of wooden structures
The facades of La Forêt Blanche will be covered by 2000 trees, shrubs and plants, with a green surface equivalent to one hectare of forest, 10 times the surface of the lot on which the building rises. La Forêt Blanche will include residential apartments in the upper floors, offices and commercial services at the bottom, with a combination of terraces and balconies on the four sides of the tower. Sunlight will be ensured all the day by the east-west orientation, giving apartments lighting, natural ventilation and a striking view over the downtown of Paris.
The public green masterplan was designed by the American studio James Corner Field Operations - which curated also the design of the New York High Line by Diller+Scofidio – and the Atelier Paul Arène.
La Forêt Blanche completes the family of Vertical Woods to be built in China, Europe, South America and the United States. Stefano Boeri Architetti explores also in France a new generation of architecture in which greenery is not only a decoration, but a crucial element. This kind of architecture challenges climate change and increases biodiversity in urban environments.
La Forêt Blanche is one of the 12 buildings presented by the Compagnie de Phalsbourg on Marne Europe – Villiers sur Marne, with the name Balcon sur Paris, including those signed by Kengo Kuma & Associates (Sora, Le Palais des Congrès), Oxo Architectes (Le Potager De Villiers, Business Home), KOZ Architectes (2 edifici, Archipel), Michael Green Architecture (Peuplier Blanc, Prairie Blanche) and X-TU (La Ressourcerie, Green Jenga).
In turn, Balcon sur Paris joined “Inventons la Métropole du Grand Paris”, one of the most important competitions for urban development promoted in Paris, which involved world-renowned architects and 51 sites.