23-06-2025
A vertical forest growing in the Netherlands: in pictures
Earlier this year, a new, mixed-use building opened in the heart of Utrecht, Netherlands. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
Wonderwoods Vertical Forest in the city's Beurskwartier area brings new housing, office space and an estimated hectare of vertical forest to the area. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
Designed by Stefano Boeri Architects and MVSA Architects, it's the newest of many vertical forests cropping up in cities around the world. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
This style of building can absorb carbon dioxide, reduce air pollution and provide a cooling effect, both in shady outdoor spaces and in the interiors. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
These green spaces also support plant and animal biodiversity. Here, a 'bug hotel' provides a space for insects to shelter and lay eggs. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
Stefano Boeri architects built its first vertical forest, or Bosco Verticale, a decade ago in the Milan district of Porta Nuova. Photograph: Audrius Venclova/Alamy
Since then, towers that incorporate greenery have gone up in cities around the world. Pictured: Trudo Vertical Forest, a low-income housing complex in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Photograph: Frans Lemmens/Alamy
Wonderwoods is Boeri's first vertical forest to feature spaces accessible to the public, including outdoor gardens. 'It's really a part of the city,' said architect Stefano Boeri. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
The complex is part of a broader transformation of Beurskwartier, a new pedestrian district adjacent to Utrecht's Central Station. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
The view of Utrecht, with the city's cathedral in the background. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
There are more than 200 apartments in the Wonderwoods Vertical Forest. Pictured is one of the apartment's balconies. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
In keeping with the pedestrian and cyclist friendly streetscape, the building offers ample bicycle storage. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
Wonderwoods draws inspiration from the nearby Utrechtse Heuvelrug national park and houses more than 30 plant species native to the area. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
Designers built a water storage system to collect and recover rainwater. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
'We really try to make botany part of our discipline, our studies,' Boeri said. 'Plants and living nature are not simply an ornament – it is part of the life of the building.' Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
Boeri said that prefabricated materials are helping to bring down the costs of vertical forests – allowing them to scale. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
'The buildings change color and shape with relation to the season,' Boeri said. 'We're used to thinking of architecture as stable, but these change continuously and every year is different.'
Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian
