The banyan and the Australian paldao at Eywa: why a Business Bay tower plants mature trees

Why is the banyan the idea behind the building?

The banyan, the Bengal fig, is known for the way it grows. Aerial roots drop from the branches, take hold in the ground and become additional trunks, so that a single tree spreads over time into a whole grove.

In the cultures of Asia it is revered as a symbol of eternal life, of protection and of the bond between generations. Communities gathered under such trees for centuries and held their rites there.

That image is the basis of the architecture. The interlacing structures of the Eywa facade follow the logic of banyan roots growing together, and the building itself is positioned as a guardian tree for its residents.

A living tree in the project closes the metaphor: the architectural form and its natural prototype meet in one place. For a luxury buyer such complete stories count for more than they seem to, because they turn an address into a recognisable cultural object.

What is a paldao, and what is a specimen tree for?

The paldao is a large tropical tree with a striking crown and valuable timber, known from the forests of South-East Asia and Australasia. In premium landscaping, species like it serve as specimens: single accent trees around which a composition is built.

A mature tree with character and a history works like a sculpture, only a living one. It changes with the seasons, and it makes shade and a microclimate of its own.

That is the difference from ornamental shrubs in tubs. Developers usually talk about floor area, views and finishes; at Eywa the trees became one of the main subjects of the presentations.

For a market in which greenery was a secondary line in the landscaping budget for decades, that is a new kind of conversation.

What does it take to put a mature tree into a tower?

Transplanting mature trees is long-established practice in the UAE: palms and ficus travel from the nurseries in whole convoys. Rare exotic species are a task of a different order, and each one is in effect a separate engineering project.

The tree needs a prepared root ball, a period of acclimatisation, automatic irrigation, drainage, and protection from salt-laden air and summer heat. The budget for one specimen is roughly comparable to the price of a car, and sometimes of an apartment.

The building has to be designed for it. Soil, root ball and moisture weigh tonnes, so the slabs in the planting zones are reinforced, and waterproofing and drainage keep roots and water away from the structure.

At height the trees are anchored, and species are chosen that tolerate constant wind. Automatic systems with moisture sensors water and feed them all year round, and in a hot climate green terraces are shaded and cooled, otherwise the plants do not survive the summer.

That is why a “vertical forest” is an expensive pleasure, open only to projects in the top price bracket. The return matches the cost: living greenery on the facade and in the shared areas sets a building apart from its glass neighbours at once.