Greenery-covered tower bears fruit and vegetables

Vincent Callebaut Architectures recently unveiled a new conceptual mixed-use tower named Arboricole. Envisioned for Angers, France, the project features Callebaut's usual blend of greenery and high-tech sustainable technology, and could produce fruit and vegetables for its residents to pick.

Arboricole would rise to 35 m and comprise a total floorspace of 9,400 m², split between 50 apartments, a hotel, concert hall, an area for artists, office space, and a rooftop restaurant.

The building's curving facade would enable large greenery-covered balcony spaces. Callebaut envisions some 20,000 perennial plants, shrubs, and trees being planted, including those that produce fruit and vegetables. Green-fingered residents would then be invited to pick the food.

As reported in an article on newatlas.com, some of the most notable sustainable technology conceived for the project includes a geothermal heating system and solar power, with the latter producing up to 40 percent of the building's electrical needs, according to the firm's calculations.

Arboricole would also include a rainwater capture system that could feed the plants and some kind of biomass generator, as well as excellent insulation. It would be built using sustainably-sourced building materials, too.

Arboricole was designed for an architectural competition and, as it didn't win, seems likely to remain on the drawing board. That said, this kind of greenery-covered tower is increasingly popular at the moment.

Callebaut's own Agora Garden Tower is on the rise in Taipei, while Stefano Boeri is busily producing several tree-covered towers around the world in quick succession, including the Trudo Vertical Forest and Forêt Blanche tower.