Whether it’s the Ecopolis Lilypad designed to accommodate 50,000 future ecological refugees or Waternest 100 – the eco-friendly floating home powered by solar panels, European architects are revolutionizing the green construction industry. The goal is rather simple: to slow down climate change, reduce CO2 emissions, and reduce our carbon footprint with alternative living solutions.

Green Urban Architectural Movement

With the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) predicting 250 million climate refugees displaced and 9% of the GDP affected by water dilation, the world needs to come together and embrace green urban architecture from designers like Vincent Callebaut and Stefano Boeri.

The Nanjing Green Towers

The next urban construction project on the docket: vertical gardens that scale up two towers in Nanjing, China. Located in the Pukou district, the Nanjing Green Towers is Stefano Boeri Architects third urban forestation concept. With completion scheduled for 2018, Boeri Architects hope to regenerate local biodiversity by covering two towers with 64,600 square feet of trees, shrubs, and cascading plants.

“The goal is to provide a place for birds and insects to colonize. The diverse plants also help to create humidity and absorb CO2 and dust, producing oxygen in the process.”

Regenerating Local Biodiversity

According to the firm, the vertical forest covering the two Nanjing Green Towers “will help to regenerate local biodiversity, will provide 25 tons of CO2 absorption each year and will produce 60 kg’s of oxygen per day.” The 656-foot taller tower will house a “green lantern” rooftop, a museum, a private club, and a “green architectural school.” The smaller 354-foot tower will be home to a Hyatt Hotel, 247 rooms, and a roof deck swimming pool.

Europeans Accepting Vertical Forestation

The green urban architecture movement has been welcomed in European homes. From a quarter of the flat roofs in Stuart, Germany being green to an astounding 1.3 million square feet of greenery on roofs throughout London, biodiversity in highly congested cities has become widely accepted. Now it’s time for Asian countries, like China, to deter air pollution with vertical forestation.