A public vote for the best designed ‘vertical forest’ building has crowned Vincent Callebaut Architectures the winner in Angers, France. ArchDaily has a detailed look at this winning design for a very ambitious project, which will get underway in the next year. We also love to see the building rendered throughout the four seasons, to get a sense of how the plant-draped exterior will look over the course of a year.
Named Arboricole, meaning “tree” and “cultivation,” this live-work-play environment gives back as much to the environment as it does its users.
Young urban residence meets youth hostel in this effort to attract Millennials between 25-35 to a new type of urban living. Within each residential unit, removable panel partitions, made by Someta, allow residents to customize their own space. Throughout the building, shared facilities and amenities encourage collaboration and community.
“The Music Factory” concert hall inhabits the central core and is encircled by the “Anjou Factory,” a first-floor space dedicated to music and local products. On the second floor, the business incubator, “Bang!” offers rentable offices and shareable workshops. After work, users can grab a glass of local wine at the “Rooftop,” a panoramic restaurant complete with hanging gardens.
This design proposal harmonizes three overarching renewable energy strategies: bioclimatism, aquaponics, and bio-based materials. The biomorphic form itself derives from the sun’s path and prevailing winds. Geothermal and solar energies (a thermal fridge pump on geothermal probes with hybrid solar panels) heat and cool the building. A “Mini Green Power” biomass transforms plant waste from the hanging gardens into resources. Planters are connected, allowing water to flow from the rooftop to the first floor to a rainwater collection pond. Recyclable materials are used throughout the scheme.
