Vertical forests created for buildings in Cairo

An initiative to create a greener Cairo includes the construction of three cube-shaped buildings clad in plants.

The buildings, situated in the south east area of the city will be designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti with local partner Shimaa Shalash and landscape designer Laura Gatti. They will be similar to the towers of Milan’s Bosco Verticale (also designed by Boeri and Gatti) and will be 30m high and wide. Each one can accommodate 350 trees, more than 14,000 shrubs and feature 100 different species of plants.

The three buildings will be a hotel and two apartment blocks and are part of a wider move to make Cairo greener. Thousands of flat roofs in the city will also planted with greenery, while green corridors are planned to thread through Cairo.

It’s estimated that this vertical forest – Africa’s first – will absorb around seven tons of carbon dioxide and produce eight tons of oxygen a year. Construction of the buildings will begin in 2020 and will be completed in 2022.