His vertical gardens are everywhere, from New York to Singapore, from Kuwait to China. Because plants not only bring wellbeing, but help reduce temperatures and pollutants in cities.
Botanist and visionary. In Mantua he appears alongside Stefano Boeri wearing what is probably his favourite colour: green hair, green suit. And an irresistible energy. At the Teatro Sociale he recounts his travels around the world, which led him to study how various plant species have colonised the most unusual crevices created by the elements. The forests of Thailand, China, the Amazon. Hundreds of plant species that have found ways to cling and climb onto rocks, cliff faces and caves. Often creating unique ecosystems and landscapes. One need only think of Mount Tianzi or the Hallelujah Mountains within Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.
Read also: How the World Forum on Urban Forests, the urban forests forum in Mantua, went
It is from this predisposition of plant species that Blanc drew inspiration for his projects, famous the world over. His vertical gardens are everywhere: hotels, offices, towers, entire buildings. And each one is unique in its own way, because for every project the botanist creates a particular composition based on the climatic characteristics of the location and the result he wishes to achieve. "A large part of my scientific work is based on studying how plants have adapted to survive in the lower, less sunlit zone of tropical forests, where only 1 per cent of sunlight is available," he explains backstage at the Teatro Sociale after a panel on how to make the cities of the future greener. "Here, because of the scarcity of light, a wholly particular architecture takes shape, and that is precisely what I draw inspiration from." Leaves, in fact, in order to "capture" the little available light, often form green structures in the most varied shapes, while shrubs and trees manage to grow where no human has ever set foot. "I study their resilience, their structure, how they propagate, how seeds grow near the mother plant or how they are carried further away. I try to consider the entire life cycle of the plant."
In Mantua there was much discussion about how urban forests and greenery in general could contribute to cooler and healthier cities in the coming decades. Due to climate change, temperatures in cities will rise, triggering true heatwaves. "Vertical gardens are perfect for wider avenues and narrower streets alike, because in those cases it is possible to lower temperatures considerably." The right presence of urban forests and greenery in cities can in fact reduce temperatures by between 2 and 8°C. "When I create a vertical garden, I plant between 100 and 200 different species. They have to coexist and survive over time. For this reason I take their growth over the years into account, so that they do not need to be replaced and can require as little maintenance as possible." According to Blanc, vertical gardens can be planted anywhere: "even an underground car park can work if you choose the right plants." Or even in the middle of the desert, as at the Kafd Conference Center in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, where the botanist created a spectacular green roof. "It was very interesting there because I had to choose the plants bearing in mind that in summer temperatures can reach as high as 55°C."
This is the manifesto that emerged from the first World Forum on Urban Forests in Mantua. Planting trees in cities will mean reducing CO2 emissions, reducing average temperatures, reducing pollutants. And increasing the wellbeing of their inhabitants. "Obviously urban forests can be part of the solution," explains Blanc. "Today the majority of architectural projects in large cities are 'green', particularly in major Western and Eastern cities." One need only think of "Le Nouvel Towers," inaugurated this year in Kuala Lumpur, one of the botanist's favourite projects because there "I was able to plant 243 different climbing plants, creating what is in every sense a vertical botanical garden."
To understand Patrick Blanc's creative streak, one need only look to his Paris apartment: an indoor forest. "Birds fly around at home, I have lizards climbing the walls and a pool all around where fish swim. So while I work I can see nature around me." A vertical garden that allows him to live without air conditioning. "This summer in Paris it was 39°C, but in my apartment it was 28." Here, specimens collected in the 1980s from every corner of the world thrive, in an apotheosis of greenery that most likely not only delights the eye but soothes the soul as well.