Planted balconies: what EDEN and La Serre do differently

Two buildings, two kinds of outdoor room

The useful comparison is between private extensions of a home and a network of private and communal spaces.

At EDEN in Singapore, Heatherwick Studio describes planted, shell-shaped balconies staggered to create double-height outdoor spaces. The project was completed in 2020. La Serre, designed by MVRDV in Issy-les-Moulineaux, combines private balconies and terraces with shared gardens inside an open structural frame; the architect’s project page currently lists it as on site.

Source: Heatherwick Studio · EDEN

Source: MVRDV · La Serre

These are different climates, scales and delivery stages. The comparison below concerns the design of access and outdoor space. It does not establish that one building has better comfort, biodiversity or running costs.

When a balcony becomes part of the living room

Depth, access and usable floor area matter as much as the amount of planting.

Heatherwick places EDEN’s service spaces around the perimeter and describes a central living area connected to its balconies. The greenery therefore belongs to a spatial sequence from indoors to outdoors, rather than being a separate decorative layer.

Source: Heatherwick Studio · EDEN

On any apartment plan, trace that sequence. Can someone open the door and sit outside without moving furniture? Does the planter leave space for a chair and a clear route? A generous-looking facade can conceal a narrow walking strip. Ask for dimensions of the usable surface separately from the planter footprint.

What changes when the garden is shared?

A shared planted route can support encounters, but it also changes the boundary of the home.

MVRDV describes La Serre’s gardens as connected by stairs and footbridges, with a communal promenade and a dedicated gardener. Plant selection responds to conditions including sunlight, wind and height. This is a managed landscape distributed through the building.

Source: MVRDV · La Serre

For a resident, the next questions concern access and choice: does a shared route pass directly outside a bedroom, when can people use it, and can you reach your home without joining the communal space? A lively shared garden and a quiet private terrace solve different needs. Look for a clear transition between them.

Can greenery provide privacy without blocking daylight?

A photograph cannot tell you how a balcony performs through a whole year.

Compare the position of windows, neighbouring balconies and paths before relying on foliage for privacy. A planted screen may feel different when plants are young, being replaced or pruned. Ask to see the relevant view from inside the room, not only the exterior elevation.

Likewise, separate a design intention to provide shade from measured indoor comfort. Orientation, balcony geometry, glazing and the surrounding buildings all affect the result. The available project descriptions do not give a like-for-like set of post-occupancy measurements for these two buildings, so a numerical cooling comparison would be misleading.

Who maintains a planted balcony?

The responsibility boundary needs to be as legible as the plan.

Ask who owns the planting, who can enter to maintain it, how water is supplied and where drainage goes. Establish who pays for replacement plants and which maintenance costs belong to shared charges. These are questions for the building’s actual operating arrangements, not assumptions that follow from a green facade.

For an existing home, inspect the route used by maintenance staff and request the current maintenance information. For a building still being delivered, ask which landscape commitments form part of the specification and when planting and common gardens will be available. EDEN’s completed status and La Serre’s listed construction status call for different kinds of evidence.