Dezeen publishes the list “The 25 Most Significant Buildings of the 21st Century,” dedicating a daily feature to the most significant architecture of the year from 2000 to 2025. For the year 2014, the feature highlights the Bosco Verticale in Milan, designed by Boeri Studio.
The article by Tom Ravenscroft acknowledges the project’s significant influence in transforming modern architecture’s approach to environmental issues, also analyzing the key characteristics and studies that led to the building’s creation. Described as “the symbol of this trend to increase the amount of greenery in urban areas, which gained considerable momentum in the second decade of the 21st century,” the Bosco Verticale “took this trend to its extreme. The two towers are covered with 800 trees, along with 15,000 perennials and 5,000 shrubs.”
The concept of the Bosco Verticale—being “a home for trees that also hosts humans and birds”—defines not only the urban and technological features but also the architectural language and expressive qualities of the project. Rather than being a standalone architectural object, the presence of the plant component makes the Bosco Verticale comparable to a collection of processes—partly natural, partly human-managed—that accompany the life and growth of the inhabited organism over time.
Together, these solutions surpass the still largely anthropocentric and technical concept of “sustainability,” moving towards a new biological diversity, where living nature becomes a fundamental part of architectural design.
To read the full article: https://www.dezeen.com/2025/01/20/bosco-verticale-stefano-boeri-21st-century-architecture/