Stefano Boeri Architetti

Trudo Tower Vertical Forest

Eindhoven - The Netherlands - 2021

Eindhoven has gained a new icon. Trudo Tower immediately grasps your attention, as the trees and plants on its balconies frame the views of residents and passerby alike. What is more, the tower accommodates the pressing need for social housing in the Dutch city too. Reynaers Aluminium was more than happy to be involved in this sustainable residential project that speaks to the imagination.

The “vertical forest” is a design by Stefano Boeri. Known for his Bosco Verticale in Milan, the Italian architect was contacted by the Trudo Social Housing Corporation to create a residential tower in a similar style. The final innovative result brings sustainability to a busy city centre. Boeri explains: “The vertical forest is a way to change the perspective of urban space and to get a view of the city skyline through a filter of leaves. Each vertical forest is unique, depending on the seasons, the sunlight, and your point of view.”

SlimLine 38 Windows, SlimLine 38 Doors and ConceptWall 50 Façades - Trudo Tower Vertical Forest located in Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Trudo Tower Vertical Forest, a new icon in the heart of Eindhoven.

Green social housing

Stefano Boeri, Dutch architectural firm INBO and general contractor Stam + De Koning developed Trudo Tower at the centre of Strijp-S, an energetic urban renewal project in Eindhoven. “It is not just another green tower in the city. For us, it is also a project that combines social housing with striking architecture in a very special way,” says Aron Bogers, architect and managing partner at INBO. The residential tower consists of no less than 125 social housing flats of around 50 square metres per loft.

On a technical level, the building process proved to be quite a challenge. This kind of construction, with tall and heavy trees on protruding balconies, was a first in The Netherlands. Through close collaboration and detailed calculations, the partners were able to choose the right materials for both the balconies and joinery solutions.

Minimalistic SlimLine 38 windows and doors offer spectacular views.

Concrete and aluminium

For Trudo Tower’s general structure, sturdy precast concrete was chosen to gain overall building speed. Faster construction time results in lower construction costs, which is a crucial point to hit when building affordable social housing units.

Next, façade builder Wijmoco opted for SlimLine 38 windows and doors to create the airy building envelope. These elegant aluminium solutions give the view an extremely slim and minimalist framework, while granting easy access to comfortable balcony areas. SlimLine 38s slender sightlines and excellent thermal performance proved to be an ideal match for this green building project.

Spectacular views all year round

The trees and plants were selected one by one, creating a unique experience depending on the different seasons. As a result, residents enjoy the blossom in Spring and luscious greenery during Autumn. Mixed with spectacular panoramas of the city throughout the year, this sets a new standard of living.

The residential tower contains as many as 10,500 plants. In fact, Trudo Tower is a living green lung for the city of Eindhoven. In total, this vertical forest absorbs about 50,000 kilograms of CO2 and emits an impressive 13,750 kilograms of oxygen every year.

Living in harmony

A tower of this size, with such a special appearance in the social rental sector is extremely unique. “Ultimately, in this project, everything was new, both for INBO, for Stefano Boeri and Stam + De Koning. It took a lot of guts and experimenting to figure out how to make this dream come true,” says Bogers.

Boeri concludes: “This is the first Vertical Forest social housing project in the world, and we have demonstrated that it is possible to make this green architecture affordable for everybody. It is an incredible neighbourhood and, I believe, it is one of the most interesting instances of urban regeneration today.”