Stefano Boeri, the acclaimed “starchitect” behind Milan’s Vertical Forest, has denounced a Trump administration proposal for a postwar Gaza as an unacceptable and perverse vision of the future. The plan, which involves relocating the Palestinian population to create a Middle Eastern “Riviera,” was reported by The Washington Post and even includes an image of Boeri’s iconic work as inspiration.
Boeri, who won the International Highrise Award in 2014 for the Vertical Forest, expressed his vehement opposition to the so-called “Riviera Plan for Gaza.” In a statement to ANSA, he described it as “a horrendous and violent projection of an unacceptable and perverse future, which presupposes the deportation and forced diaspora of thousands of families already exposed to a continuous threat of death.”
He added, “I see it as a grim paradox that among its inspirations is an image of Milan’s Vertical Forest—the prototype of an architecture that, on the contrary, promotes harmony with nature and the history of places, and which over the years has proven capable of hosting not only luxury residences but also social housing, public spaces, and health services.”
Beyond the Vertical Forest, Boeri’s firm has applied its bio-architectural philosophy to public spaces in Utrecht, residential buildings in Eindhoven and China, and healthcare facilities like the Rehabilitation Center in Shenzhen. In his role as president of Milan’s Triennale design museum, which recently focused its international exhibition on “Inequalities,” Boeri is also engaged in another postwar reconstruction effort: planning for Ukraine, specifically the city of Odesa. In September 2023, he and the then-president of Rome’s MAXXI museum conducted an initial survey of sites damaged by Russian bombardments.