"Living" façades are all the rage in architecture today. BD+C has been covering the trend since 2004, when the Edouard François-designed Tower Flower apartment building opened in Paris.
Architect Jean Nouvel now is in on the trend, with the One Central Park Tower development in Sydney, Australia. The project, set to open this fall, consists of two, 380-foot-tall residential towers covered in a series of living walls and vertical gardens that will extend the full height of the buildings. When completed, the project will feature the world's tallest living walls.
The Building Team worked with French artist Patrick Blanc to design and create the living façade. In describing the façade's purpose, project architect Bertram Beissel of Ateliers Jean Nouvel said it will deliver "a flower to each resident, and a bouquet to the city."
The façade will be made up of 190 native Australian and 160 exotic plant species, which will cover about half the total wall area, according to a report by Dezeen.
For more on One Central Park Tower, see reports from the Architect's Newspaper and Dezeen.
Related Stories
| Mar 11, 2014
Freelon Group to join Perkins+Will
The Freelon Group concentrates on museums, libraries, universities and other civic and institutional clients; Perkins+Will plans to incorporate this specialization into their design repertory.
| Mar 10, 2014
Meet Tally – the Revit app that calculates the environmental impact of building materials
Tally provides AEC professionals with insight into how materials-related decisions made during design influence a building’s overall ecological footprint.
Sponsored | | Mar 10, 2014
A high-performance barn
Bastoni Vineyards replaces a wooden barn with an efficient metal building used for maintenance, storage, and hosting events.
| Mar 10, 2014
Field tested: Caterpillar’s Cat B15 rugged smartphone
The B15 is billed by Cat as “the most progressive, durable and rugged device available on the market today.”
| Mar 10, 2014
5 rugged mobile devices geared for construction pros
BD+C readers share their most trusted smartphone and tablet cases. The editors select some of their faves, too.
| Mar 7, 2014
Thom Mayne's high-tech Emerson College LA campus opens in Hollywood [slideshow]
The $85 million, 10-story vertical campus takes the shape of a massive, shimmering aircraft hangar, housing a sculptural, glass-and-aluminum base building.
| Mar 7, 2014
Learning from common leadership errors
As a leader in the AEC world, you’ll likely find yourself making certain mistakes over the course of your career. Here are a few common leadership errors that can easily be avoided.
| Mar 6, 2014
BD+C wants to hear about your breakthrough ideas and projects for the Giants 300 report
BD+C's 2014 Giants 300 survey form is now available. But completing the survey is just one way to participate in the July Giants issue.
| Mar 6, 2014
Must see: Tour Seinfeld's apartment with virtual reality headset
Fans of the show can now explore a virtual 3D model of the iconic New York residence, thanks to one Web designer's painstaking effort.
| Mar 5, 2014
5 tile design trends for 2014
Beveled, geometric, and high-tech patterns are among the hot ceramic tile trends, say tile design experts.
