Parisians Will Soon Be Able to Live Inside a Floating Forest

A floating village in the middle of a forest might sound like the setting of a Hayao Miyazaki film, but a team of architects plans to transform the surreal concept into a reality for Parisians, FastCoExist reports.

The building project is the brainchild of Japan's Sou Fujimoto Architects and Parisian-based Manal Rachdi/Oxo Architects. In several years, an empty parking lot at the edge of Paris’s 17th arrondissement will be transformed into a tree-covered structure with homes on its roof. Stretching over a highway that separates the city’s center from the suburbs, it will double as a pedestrian walkway while also bridging the noticeable gap between the two environments.

The bridge will be separated into several layers. One layer will feature a tree-filled path, while another will include small houses and apartments. A third layer will be filled with offices, a daycare, eateries, and other establishments.

According to Maxim, the building won't just be pretty—it’ll also be eco-friendly. The architects plan to power the structure with a combination of wind, solar, and geothermal energy, which will help residents lower their carbon footprints while still enjoying full-service amenities, a sweeping view of the Paris skyline, and an abundance of natural beauty.

As FastCoExist points out, tree-covered roofs help buildings conserve energy, filter pollution, and combat rising global temperatures. It’s no wonder, then, that similar structures are popping up across the world. From a 384-foot tall apartment building covered in evergreen trees that’s slated to be built in Lausanne, Switzerland to shrub-draped apartment complexes in Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City, the green architectural trend continues to take root.

Watch a video of the "floating village in the middle of a forest" above.

[h/t FastCoExist]