5 Remarkable Buildings That Use Trees as a Design Element

Innovative Design

5 Remarkable Buildings That Use Trees as a Design Element

From Singapore to Switzerland, firms have introduced more greenery to provide shade, improve air quality, and reduce reliance on air-conditioning

 This was a year in which tree-inspired architecture sprouted throughout a few cities in Southeast Asia, along with one magnificent project in Europe. From Singapore to Switzerland, several firms have covered their future buildings with trees and shrubs. The arboreal aesthetic is inspired by a number of practical building considerations: In efforts to minimize the effects of greenhouse gases from new buildings, architects have incorporated more greenery to supply shade, boost air quality, and lessen their buildings’ need for air-conditioning. AF surveys five beautiful, tree-centric buildings that are changing the way we look at modern architecture. Pictured here is Vo Trong Nghia Architects’ vision for a treelined campus at FPT University in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Courtesy of Vo Trong Nghia Architects

The 2015 winning design for the Urban Habitat Award by Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat was the ParkRoyal on Pickering, a hotel in Singapore created by WOHA.

Photo: Courtesy of WOHA

German-based Ingenhoven Architects devised plans for Marina One, a new high-rise development in Singapore.

Photo: Courtesy of Ingenhoven Architects

Italian architect Stefano Boeri recently announced a 36-story tower in Lausanne, Switzerland. Tower of Cedars will feature 18,000 plants, 6,000 shrubs, and 100 trees, all protecting residents from noise pollution and dust.

Photo: Courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti

This Ho Chi Minh City complex will be composed of a trio of buildings that are covered in bamboo and linked with bridges shaded by foliage. Set on a roughly 90,400-square-foot plot, the three buildings—each 22 stories—will accommodate some 720 residences, all with access to the communal rooftop garden.

Photo: Courtesy of Vo Trong Nghia Architects