Work has begun on Danish architect Bjarke Ingels Group’s design for the IQON tower in Quito, Ecuador, which it is billing as an "urban tree farm".
The 33-storey building will be made from a stack of concrete boxes, each rotated to provide the best view, and with outdoor terraces on both the north and south sides.
![](https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/x846big2.png.pagespeed.ic_.IKrTe9TI8M.jpg)
Each terrace will be planted with a different species of tree, placed on a hollow wall underneath each balcony. In this way, the building’s façade is intended to be a "vertical display of the biodiversity of Quito". When the trees on the building outgrow their pots, they will be replanted in parks all over the city.
![](https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/846big2_1.png)
The base of the IQON contains a "cascading series of stepping terraces", which creates an "open public plaza" with retail space, according to BIG.
![](https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/846big3_1.png)
The roof of the development also includes stepping terraces, as well as a lap pool.
The building will contain 35,000 sq m of floor space.
![](https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/846big4_1.png)
Images courtesy of BIG
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I wonder how they will safely remove the trees
Why would they have to remove them they can be cut back like any other tree bush or plant