Rising up in the Porta Nuova neighbourhood, the award-winning ‘Vertical Forest’ residential building designed by Boeri Studio in 2014 is a pioneer of urban biodiversity and contemporary icon of 21st century architecture. Its two towers are layered with balconies and in-built planters hosting 800 trees, 15,000 perennials and 5,000 shrubs, which shade and cool the building, improve air quality and host habitats for 1,600 specimens of birds and butterflies. The Bosco Verticale promotes a new way for humans, plants and animals to co-exist in the city; it’s worth a visit.