Biotecture & We Design For… awarded Highways England funding to prove the effectiveness of using plants to create clean air zones

Can living walls help improve air quality?

Our research in collaboration with Biotecture and University College London, will look at the following:

Clean air zones

The data gathered during this Goverment funded research project will help to better understand how the Active Airflow Living Wall system (developed with Biotecture), can be utilised to create clean air zones – particularly pertinent for the many locations around Britain which currently exceed air pollution safety limits.

Unhealthy roads

Among the most harmful gases polluting our air are nitrogen oxides. A recent BBC report stated that, according to 2017 figures, “Transport on UK roads accounts for 32% of all nitrogen oxides, which are linked to respiratory diseases, heart disease and lung cancer. Of all roads that breach legal limits for nitrogen oxides, 88% are in cities.”

Reducing air pollution

The Biotecture Active Airflow system is designed to address this. We have engineered a system that relies on pressure differentials to draw polluted air through the leaves and roots of the plants, a process that removes gaseous pollutants (such as nitrogen oxide) and other harmful particles from the air before using this ‘fresh air’ to improve air quality in spaces.

We have been very impressed by We Design For’s dedication, professionalism and ability to find innovative solutions to complex problems.

Michael Hall, Biotecture