The Bosco Verticale is an architectural highlight that can be admired in the centre of Milan. The “vertical forest” certainly lives up to its name: the façades of both high-rise blocks are covered by enough trees to make up a one-hectare forest. In Frankfurt, 195,000 plants adorn the almost 200-metre high EDEN Tower in one of Europe’s highest vertical gardens. And in one of Munich’s quarters “the Werksviertel”, sheep have found a green home on a building’s rooftop.

The proportion of green buildings is steadily growing. It is rare for properties at top locations to be built or renovated without a sustainability certificate.

These spectacular designs, taking things to the extreme, symbolise a change of direction: nature is taking urban spaces back — not just as trees lining the pavements, but as natural elements of structures on roofs, in courtyards and on walls. Together, the “urban ecosystem” and the increased number of green public spaces work to counteract paved areas and provide many benefits: plants improve the quality of air, they provide shade and cool, they offer sound-proofing and they are both aesthetically pleasing and good for the soul.