The M6B2 Biodiversity Tower on the southern bank of the river Seine is hard to miss. At 165 feet tall, its shimmering titanium facade helps make the Parisian block greener in more ways than one. That’s because the M6B2 disperses seeds across the city, Dezeen reports.
The French firm Edouard François designed the high-rise structure with the Earth in mind. The outside of the building has been wrapped with stainless steel netting that acts as a trellis so vines can climb the 16-story structure. When a breeze hits the tower, seeds are shaken from the vines and dispersed across the city below.
Behind the steel lattice, titanium panels reflect the sun in brilliant, mossy hues. The metal produces different shades in different lighting, transitioning from yellow to deep green throughout the day.
Green urbanism is gaining traction in the French capital: Over the summer Parisian lawmakers passed an ordinance allowing residents to grow gardens on fences, walls, and rooftops. But some proponents of the movement are still skeptical of the role high-rises can play in an environmentally friendly city. Edouard François’s tower shows it’s possible to think big when designing the green buildings of tomorrow.
[h/t Dezeen]
Header/banner images courtesy of iStock.
November 20, 2016 – 4:00pm