The Sodecia Global Tech & Automation Center was seeking a sustainable design element for their new showroom space in London, Ontario. Endri Poletti Architect Inc. worked with Nedlaw to design this incredible, two-story living wall biofilter.
The 640-sf living wall biofilter provides cleansed air for the office building and provides a stunning focal point in this modern space.
The living wall is actually a working machine—an indoor air biofilter. Each unit is a vertical hydroponic plant wall. Dirty indoor air is drawn into the wall and through the synthetic growth material, where beneficial microbes consume pollutants as food.
The air draw can be created through on board fans or through integration with the building's HVAC system, as is the case with the Sodecia project. The filtered air is returned to the building—as clean as outdoor air.
By supplying a significant amount of clean air, these biofilters can reduce a building's fresh air intake requirement—outdoor air that has to be heated and humidified in winter.
In more northern climates, like Ontario, the energy savings is greater because buildings have long heating seasons. The biofilter returns air at the right temperature and at a comfortable humidity level—about 40%-50%, so humidification equipment can be reduced or eliminated.
