Marina One, the lush garden-themed Singapore tower scheme designed by Ingenhoven Architects, has topped out in the city-state’s Central Business District.

Dubbed “the Green Heart," the high-rise, mixed-use complex will resemble a green mountain in the middle of one of the world's most densely populated cities.

Shrubs, trees, and flowers will appear on every floor of the four towers that form Marina One. Two large urban parks will flank the towers – two of which are conjoined at a height of 170m – and the space in between them will be occupied by a lush free-formed biodiversity garden, designed by landscape architects Gustafson Porter in conjunction with Ingenhoven and local firm ICN Design International.

The garden will provide a tranquil public gateway to a leisure zone spread across several public terraces, which will include restaurants and cafes, a fitness club, a food court, event spaces and retailers.

Marina One has been granted LEED Platinum pre-certification. In addition to the abundance of greenery, the environmentally-smart design will utilise solar power, sun-shading, energy-efficient ventilation and a rainwater harvesting system.

“Our environmentally-smart design aims to re-green the city and is a role-model for the rapidly growing megacities within the tropical and subtropical climate zones," lead designer Christoph Ingenhoven told CLAD. “We are glad that the development remains on track for completion for 2017 and are proud that Marina One will soon be a unique part of Singapore's skyline.”

Marina One is the latest large-scale example of an architectural ‘vertical forest’ – buildings which bridge the man-made and the natural by extending green space skywards. Architects from Jean Nouvel to Stefano Boeri are engaging with the trend in their work, the latter describing such green towers as the future of our cities.