Architecture practice MVRDV has unveiled designs for a residential development in Sint-Michielsgestel, the Netherlands, with green walls formed of shelves of plants.
Together with their co-architect Van Boven Architecten, the Dutch practice has developed Green Villa for property developer Stein to sit in a corner site on the southern edge of the town.
The three-storey housing block will follow the mansard roof shape of the neighbouring building, but its entire frontage will be covered in giant rows of shelves covered in greenery.

Potted plants, bushes and trees will sit upon shelves of varying sizes and depths. Species planned for the living facade include forsythia bushes and jasmine plants, as well as pine and birch trees. Further pots are to be installed on the roof. "This design is a continuation of our research into facade-less buildings and radical greening," said Winy Maas, founding partner of MVRDV.
"The idea from the 1990s of city parks as an oasis in the city is too limited. We need a radical 'green dip'," he added, referencing an upcoming book of the same title from think-tank The Why Factory.
The Green Dip reports on the project developed by The Why Factory, the University of Technology Sydney and Delft University of Technology examining how nature can be better integrated into the urban fabric of cities.

"We should also cover roofs and high-rise facades with greenery," continued Maas, who leads The Why Factory.
"Plants and t...