In 2018, the World Health Organization cited indoor air quality (IAQ) as the #1 global threat to public health, as it has been scientifically proven to be a major contributor to critical health and wellbeing issues as diverse as allergies, depression, asthma, colds, etc. By remediating typical IAQ airborne contaminants, we are testing the potential for active plant-based systems to supply ‘fresh' air from within a building in order to improve occupant productivity, health and wellbeing, while achieving substantial energy savings.

The assembly PSAC II consists of a fan-assisted plenum that pulls soiled air from the atrium through a plant filtration comprising the planted root environment (surrounded by activated carbon, expanded clay, foamed glass and ultraviolet light) whereby it is purified, humidified, and freed of microbes before it is connected to the duct system servicing each individual zone. The proposed innovation by this biofiltration and remediation assembly is to use biological means to condition air, such that mechanical HVAC systems are streamlined and continuously cleanse through the regeneration of purified air.