A 521ft “flower-clad” tower has been proposed for Midtown Manhattan.
The 41-storey building, a concept design by Brooklyn architecture firm Studio Vural, would be covered in a layer of Asiatic lilies, which would be a riot of orange, red, and yellow when they bloom each spring. The building, known as Lilly, would cost $350m to build on a site by Bryant Park. The plans propose 18 residential floors and 23 commercial floors.
Studio Vural said it was in talks about construction, adding that there was “a lot of interest but no commitment as of yet”. It said it wanted to “push the limits” of sustainable construction.
The lily-clad tower would be possible by planting flower bulbs in a sustainable concrete assembly, which would then be hung on a steel frame. Every 10 floors a doorway would allow “vertigo-free landscapers” to tend to the garden using ladders and safety belts. Not only that, but the architecture firm said it was also developing a sliding scaffolding system to help maintain the flowers, which it described as a “window cleaner’s platform meets a rollercoaster”. Collected rainwater, filtered greywater and city water would be used to irrigate the flower beds.
The Asiatic lilies would bloom every spring, before reverting to a shade of green for the other seasons of the year.
