“Trudo Vertical Forest – a journey into the world’s first social housing Vertical Forest” is the video documentary which tells the experience of building the first Vertical Forest in social housing in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti and inaugurated on September 30th, 2021.
Trudo Vertical Forest houses on its 75 meters high 135 trees of various species, to which are added about 8500 shrubs and small plants; the apartments have a small limited surface (less than 50 square meters), while having the spatial extension offered by the terraces, where the presence of trees and shrubs helps to regulate the microclimate and clean the air.
Designed to accommodate mainly low-income tenants – such as young professionals and students – the Eindhoven tower houses apartments with low rents but high housing quality. The complex vision of “living” coexistence between man and other species is thus amplified in the project into a dual challenge: the possibility of combining the great challenge of the environmental crisis with the urgent need for affordable housing in contemporary cities.
After the first prototype in Milan (2014), Trudo Vertical Forest now makes the Vertical Forest typology accessible to everyone, setting new housing standards for social housing.
The documentary by The Blink Fish (directed by Stefano Santamato and produced by Paolo Soravia) recounts – through insights and interviews with the protagonists of the project – the development of the building which now has become a new architectural icon of the Eindhoven skyline.
From the history of the Strijp-S neighborhood, a former industrial area now redeveloped, to the neighborhood’s current creative vocation, the documentary outlines Trudo Vertical Forest’s role as a landmark in the area; special attention is paid to the architectural and technological innovations, as well as environmental innovations, related to the design development and construction of the building: prefabrication and the study of greenery have made it possible to significantly reduce the construction costs of the project, making it economically accessible to low-income segments of the population. Nowadays, Trudo Vertical Forest is a unique project on the international architectural scene, receiving several awards after only one year of it’s completion, including the Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements Award (2022) and the 23rd Energy Globe Award (2022).
Speakers in the video:
Stefano Boeri, Architetto e urbanista
Francesca Cesa Bianchi, Partner & Director di Stefano Boeri Architetti
Arno van Tilburg, Director at Stam + De Koning
Bart van Berlo, Studio manager & Project leader at Inbo
Aron Boges – Architect & Partner – Director at Inbo
Laura Gatti – Landscape Agronomist Studio Laura Gatti
Danielle van de Boom – Housing consultant social management at Trudo
Ellen Bijkerk – Project leader – Pathway supervisor at Neos
And the tenants of the tower: the young inhabitants Fabienne Persoon, Hale Yesilyurt, Jenne van Heeswijk – and Koen Schoonderbeek.
Trudo Vertical Forest
Project: Stefano Boeri Architects
Location: Eindhoven, Netherlands
Year: 2017 – 2021
Client: Sint Trudo
Typology: Architecture, Vertical forest
Credits
Project: Stefano Boeri Architects
Founding Partner: Stefano Boeri
Partner and project director: Francesca Cesa Bianchi
Project manager: Paolo Russo
Team – preliminary project: Giulia Chiatante, Elisa Versari
Team – executive project: Elisa Versari, Lorenzo Masotto
Consultants:
Botanical project: Studio Laura Gatti
Nursery: Van den Berk Nurseries
Partners:
Local architect and executive: Inbo
Facilities: Tielemans Technical Office
Facilities: Ten Hooven
Landscape design firm: Du Pré Groenprojecten
General contractor: Stam + De Koning Bouw
Trudo Vertical Forest-a journey into the world’s first vertical forest of social housing
Credits
Produced by The Blink Fish
Director: Stefano Santamato
Executive Producer: Paolo Soravia
Camera operator: Levi Trommelen
Sound recorders: Tom Polkamp, Edoardo Bianchi
Editing: Stefano Santamato, Matteo Poerio
Color correction: Bruno Luce
Sound Project: Edoardo Bianchi
Administration: Alberto Rossini