Last updated: May 2025
The Tirana Vertical Forest is part of the city's 2030 Master Plan and aims to enhance urban biodiversity and create green spaces through innovative urban design (Ref. 1,2). The project was developed by Stefano Boeri Architetti, the same studio that has designed similar, well-known structures in cities like Milan, Utrecht and Nanjing (Ref. 6). The completion of the 21-floor building is expected in late 2024 and will feature 105 apartments and a commercial ground floor as well as 145 trees and over 3,200 shrubs and bushes which are integrated into the balconies and façade of the project (Ref. 1,2,3). Various Mediterranean plants have been incorporated, including colourful, scented and aromatic types, which harmonize with the local ecosystem. To maximise the space available for green features, a dynamic structure with alternating balconies and full-height windows has been built (Ref. 1,2). Ultimately, the project anticipates improving air quality, reducing noise, and providing insulation. The greenery is expected to capture fine particulate matter and up to 8 tones of Co2 per year while also creating a healthier microclimate for those inside the building (Ref. 1,6).
The newly finished vertical forest building in Tirana
https://www.theplan.it/eng/architecture/tirana-vertical-forest
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Nature on buildings (external)
- Green walls or facades
- Balcony greens
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Environmental quality
- Air quality improvement
- Noise reduction
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Improving physical health
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Real estate development
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Air pollution
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of green roofs and walls
Project objectives
Goal 1: Developing real estate that incorporates space-efficient urban greening, i.e. limiting land use in the metropolitan areas while increasing green space areas. (Ref. 1,2)
Goal 2: Improve local air quality and reduce noise exposure. (Ref. 1,2,3)
Goal 3: Establish new spaces for urban ecosystems to enhance the city’s native biodiversity. (Ref.1)
Goal 4: Create microclimates that improve health and well-being in the face of climate change (Ref. 1,2,3)
Implementation activities
- Design the building and balconies in such a way that tall trees can be planted, i.e. by rotating balconies in opposite directions (Ref. 1)
- Develop customized technical building solutions to effectively support the building envelope, taking into account its unique features, such as overhang and floor arrangement. (Ref. 2)
- Select plants that can be incorporated into the building and enhance local biodiversity. (Ref. 1)
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Implement green walls or roofs to lower indoor temperature and provide insulation
Main beneficiaries
- Private sector/Corporate/Company
- Other
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Private sector/corporate actor/company
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Unknown
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
"Project architect: Stefano Boeri ArchitettiPartner: Stefano Boeri
Project director: Francesca Cesa Bianchi
Project leader: Paolo Russo
Team: Daniele Barillari, Jacopo Colatarci, Elisa Versari, Andrea Zucchi
Botanic consultant: Studio Laura Gatti
Engineering consultant: SCE Project
MEP consultant: ESA engineering
Executive design: SCE Project
Structural engineer: LEAL-CSE
Hydraulic system design: Artan Dersha
Mechanical system design: Gener 2, Diana Brahaj
Electrical system design: Zavalani Consulting
Fire protection system design: Artan Dersha
Client and local architect: Gener 2" (Ref. 3)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
No
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The Conceptual Plan “Tirana 2030” will provide guidelines for the development of the Albanian capital’s metropolitan area for the Ministry of Urban Development and the Municipality of Tirana. It is developed by an" international team of architects, urbanists, engineers and geologists guided by Stefano Boeri Architetti and UnLab with the scientific coordination of Lorenza Baroncelli, Michele Brunello, Francesca Cesa Bianchi and Andreas Faoro and also with the contribution of the Dutch studio IND, and a group of technicians and administrative personnel from the municipality of Tirana led by the architect Joni Baboci" (Ref. 4) )
Type of enablers
Support from transitional governance actors, Collaboration with other projects that implemented NBS
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Other
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
No
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Expected lowered local temperature
- Enhanced carbon sequestration
- Expected enhanced carbon sequestration
- Energy efficiency improvements
- Expected energy efficiency improvements
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Expected improved air quality
- Reduced noise exposure
- Expected reduced noise exposure
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Expected increased green space area
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Expected reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased number of species present
- Expected increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Increased property prices
- Expected increased property prices
- Attraction of business and investment
- Achieved attraction of business and investment
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Expected improved access to urban green space
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved physical health
- Expected improved physical health
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Expected improvement in people’s connection to nature
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Social justice and conflicts, Limited access to NBS benefits for certain socio-economic groups
References
1.
Stefano Boeri Architett (n.d.). Vertical Forest Tirana. Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Schires, M. (2019). Stefano Boeri Architetti Creates a Vertical Forest for Tirana 2030 Master Plan. ArchDaily, Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Block, I. (2019). Stefano Boeri designs Tirana Vertical Forest in Albanian capital. dezeen, Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Stefano Boeri Architetti (2016). "Tirana 2030” A vision for the future of a mediterranean capital. Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Pllumbi, D. (n.d.). Is Tiranas Rapid Transformation Progress or Erasure. Kosovo 2.0, Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
6.
The Plan (2024). Tirana Vertical Forest Glass, Green and Aluminum for a New Urban Ecosystem. Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
Plan of the vertical forest building
https://www.stefanoboeriarchitetti.net/en/project/tirana-vertical-forest/
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.