Ever yearn to put down your roots in a tree? Well, in Turin, Italy, you can.
Italian architect Luciano Pia’s 25 Green project is a five-story residential building that features 63 unique “treehouse” apartments fit for grown-ups.
Lush gardens, green walls and rooftops, and large, irregular-shaped terraces with 150 potted trees provide a break from the typical urban scene.
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Photos: © Beppe Giardino, courtesy of Luciano Pia |
"It is a special building because it is alive," writes the architect. "It grows up, it breaths and it changes."
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"I wanted to give people the chance to escape having to look all the time at Turin's urban sprawl and to create a multistory natural alternative," Pia told the Daily Mail.
According to the project literature, the forest-inspired facade was designed to:
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Produce oxygen;
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Absorb carbon dioxide;
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Reduce air pollution;
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Protect residents from noise;
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Follow the natural cycle of seasons;
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Grow day after day; and
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Create an indoor microclimate that blocks the summer sun but lets in warm light in the winter.
A Green Project
Each species of plant was selected to produce a variety of leaves, colors and blooms depending on the time of year, according to the architect. The plantings can absorb 200,000 liters of carbon dioxide per hour, reports say.
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Each of the 63 apartments features a unique terrace with potted trees.
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The structure's steel girders are painted to blend with the rest of the design and collect rainwater to irrigate the abundance of plant life, project details relate.
Additional features include natural wood shingles, continuous insulation, and heating and cooling systems that make use of geothermal energy.
"It is a special building because it is alive," writes the architect. "It grows up, it breathes, and it changes."
Those who believe they are too old to live in a treehouse need not apply.
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