November 2020 – In Huanggang in Hubei province, about 80 kms from the city of Wuhan, a crane has just lifted the very first tree of the Easyhome Huanggang Vertical Forest City Complex 90 metres above the ground to the 25th floor. It is a specimen of Osmanthus fragrans, a species indigenous to Hubei and to which another 395 trees, 3,600 shrubs and 12,000 perennials will be added for each tower. The inauguration of the two Vertical Forests will take place in February 2021.
Trees have also started to reach the balconies of the towers of the Nanjing Vertical Forest, (the first Vertical Forest built in Asia by Stefano Boeri Architetti in the Ninjing Pukou District 300 kms from Shanghai) which will go on to host a total of 27 native plant species, 600 large trees, 200 medium-sized trees and over 2,500 shrubs and hanging plants. The greenery that will cover the 4,500 square metres of surface area will contribute to the regeneration of local biodiversity and the reduction of CO2 emissions by about 18 tons while producing up to 16.5 tons of oxygen every year. The first tower, 200 metres high and crowned at the top by a green “lantern” (an almost 5,000 m2 enclosure covered with creepers) will be used for offices from the 5th to the 35th floor and will also include a museum, a green architecture school and a private rooftop club. The 108 metre high second tower will include a Hyatt Hotel with 305 rooms (ranging from 35 to 150 square metres in size) and a swimming pool on the fourth floor. The inauguration of the two Nanjing towers is scheduled for May 2021.