25 Verde is a residential building in Torino including 63 apartments (ranging from 50 to 140 square meters), which has been designed to integrate over 150 trees and other plants in the façade and on the roof to create an ideal micro-climate inside the building, while reducing air and noise pollution. The building is also well insulated from high and low outside air temperatures that respectively occur during summertime and wintertime. Energy efficiency measures used in the building address climate change adaptation needs and represent mitigation potential.

The vertical metal structure is in the shape of trees and “grows” from the ground-floor to the roof, holding up the wooden planking of the terraces. It is entwined with the vegetation to form a unique façade. The living forest is, thus, integrated in the building’s outer shell, and provides shade only during the hottest months, as all chosen plants are deciduous. Moreover, the outer shell of the building, by providing thermal insulation, improves the internal comfort during extreme temperature events, thus enhancing the adaption capacity to global warming, and, at the same time, decreasing energy required for heating and cooling.