SMART AIR – for a breathing city

Disposing air pollution in cities

Long Description

Air pollution is a big problem for many cities. From all the different kinds of air pollution that exist, fine particles are the most harmful to our health. It’s created by traffic, therefore the most polluted air is located close to the ground. Can we address the problem at the source? SMART AIR is inspired by the underground system build by termites, that has a natural air cleaning system using high and lower pressure.

Cities actually have a similar infrastructure, the sewerage system. Termites use wind to activate their system. By connecting the sewers in a clever way the high and lower pressure creates a suction force, sucking the polluted air into the sewerage system. Compare it with opening a second window in a room, as a result the air starts flowing freely. Fine particles have the natural ability to attach to water, therefore it can be safely disposed in the sewer.

By using the already existing sewerage systems, SMART AIR can be applied to multiple cities.

Smart Air pit: https://vimeo.com/189031835

Credits:
Pim Smeets, Jochem van Schip, Matthias Wentink, Lizanne Dirkx, Tom Klaver, Sebastiaan Witteveen en Robbin de Waij.