Fighting smog with architecture
Many cities today suffer from poor air quality.
Air quality has been steadily declining in many cities. Urbanization has given birth to smog, which is a combination of smoke and dirt particles floating in air.
The Philippines, in particular, has seen its brunt.
Many Filipinos today suffer from asthma, tuberculosis, and other respiratory diseases. Our surroundings are slowly poisoning us. What can be done to fight this crisis?
For their part, designers combat smog with green design. New buildings feature green elements to improve the surroundings.
Some projects, however, take it a step further. They make it their prime goal to clean up the air. These works may not yet be implemented everywhere, but with their growing success, they ought to be.
Giant vacuum cleaner
At home, when things get dusty, many of us turn to the vacuum cleaner for solution. In the case of polluted cities, someone did just that.
The Smog Free Tower, a brainchild of the Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde, is a 7-meter high tower that uses patented ionization technology to filter smog. Technically a giant vacuum cleaner, the structure cleans approximately 30,000 cube meters of air at the electrical consumption rate of a water boiler.
The project was first realized in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was financed mostly by crowd funding. The Smog Free Tower quickly garnered attention and accolades upon its construction. Currently, it is being replicated in different parts of China.
Just how effective is the tower in removing polluted particles from the air?
A test conducted by the Eindhoven University of Technology testifies to its efficiency. Its results show that the tower can reduce large particles by up to 45 percent and smaller ones by up to 25 percent in an open field during good weather.
According to Dr. Bert Blocken, one of the researchers, the effect might be more in an enclosed space.
Even the collected soot from the project does not go to waste. The particles collected are encased in jewelry and turned into cuff links and rings.
These works have been included in an art exhibit and are often sold as wedding rings. Who knew pollution could become so fashionable?
A vertical forest
Have you ever imagined living in a forest? In Milan, you can while never leaving the city.
Two towers known as the Bosco Verticale, literally meaning “vertical forest,” are finding fame for their lush greenery.
The project was conceptualized by the Italian architects Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca, and Giovanni La Varra. It is a residence to both people and thousands of trees, countering smog alongside housing problems.
The concept behind the project is simple but ambitious.
The buildings use trees to absorb carbon emissions around it and produce more oxygen. The trees also cool down the temperature within the building and filter dust in the air. The plant species were carefully selected and nurtured to survive the winds of high-rise towers.
Completed in 2014, the building and its plants are meticulously maintained.
Aerial arborists climb the towers like window cleaners to take care of the plants.
Bosco Verticale has become an icon in the design capital of the world. The project has become so successful that a similar one is set to be constructed in Liuzhou, China. The future development is grander in its scope, aiming to cover multiple settlements in the province of Guangxi.
Starting small
With many innovations being built to combat smog, should we simply take a backseat and let the professionals do the work? How can we contribute in the fight for cleaner air? Breathe, a Canadian Lung Association, suggests simple acts that everyone can do to help.
For one, walking, biking or commuting are better options than riding your car to travel.
If you do need to drive, plan your route to shorten the travel. Do not burn your trash in the yard. Choose hand tools over gas-powered ones if you can.
Avoid pesticides in maintaining plants. Be creative and upcycle materials instead of throwing them out. Stop smoking.
These acts might seem trivial, but as the old adage goes, the little things add up. While our country has yet to feature air-purifying structures at a city scale, our habits can definitely improve the environment.
Even if green design is not widespread yet among our buildings, it can definitely be applied in our own homes.
Everyone benefits from cleaner air. As bad as the pollution might be in our cities, it is never too late to try and fight it.
(Sources: Dr. Gerard Lico, UAP; Arch. Luana Arruda of Brazil Studio Roosegaarde; https://sk.lung.ca; www.theguardian.com)
The author is a licensed architect who studied abroad and currently works for DSFN Architects. She thinks architecture can solve many urban problems but the right attitude has to be developed first.
