In a bid to bring more greenery to our cities, Milan-headquartered architecture practice Stefano Boeri Architetti has proposed SUPERVERDE, a series of scalable, modular soil blocks designed for greening urban spaces. Described as “a modular portion of living soil,” the SUPERVERDE units are meant to be installed in both public and private urban areas with the intent of strengthening connections between people and nature. The design would also help increase biodiversity, decrease the urban heat island effect and demineralize soils.
Best known for his Vertical Forest project — residential towers topped with trees — architect Stefano Boeri is passionate about embedding greenery into cities worldwide. Unlike his typical projects, the SUPERVERDE concept focuses on adaptable, vegetated architecture and consists of a permeable and flexible surface that could be measured and purchased by the square meter. These modular units of living soil would be designed to support a variety of plant life and, by extension, fauna biodiversity.
Related: France’s first Vertical Forest will add a “hectare of forest” to Paris’ skyline
“SUPERVERDE, which can be used for always new and different landscapes, is composed of a fine edge, available in various finishes, which contains all the technological equipment necessary for the maintenance of vegetation and supports the tectonic movements of the ground,” the designers explained. “Its versatility and adaptability to any type of urban open space — public, semi-public or private — is the main feature of the project, which allows to demineralize impermeable surfaces thanks to its modular system, suitable to cover even large areas.”
The modular concept proposes two main sizes. The first is small, with surface areas ranging from 9 to 20 square meters capable of containing up to three tall trees, 20 medium-sized shrubs and numerous grasses and perennials. The second, extra-large version ranges from 60 to 100 square meters and is capable of hosting a dozen trees or 1,600 medium-sized shrubs and grasses.
Images via Stefano Boeri Architetti
