FELT VACUUM WALL

FELT VACUUM WALL
Credits: Lydia Kallipoliti & Alexandros Tsamis

Felt Vacuum Wall is a cleaning device embedded in the structure of an exterior envelope component. The scope of this research is to reevaluate the function of large exterior surfaces in polluted cities and augment their environmental performance by collecting dust. Floating dust particles are collected onto the wall purifying the air. The surface then, by polluting itself, attains a positive, productive role for the global atmosphere.

The mechanism of collecting dust from the air is activated by electricity, which similarly to the role that a magnet plays in the collection of iron fillings, channels or vacuums floating dust particles onto the felt surface. Felt becomes an attractor for floating airy dust particles and integrates them onto its body. This is a significantly time-consuming process, but it can be artificially accelerated by electricity. If subjected to a certain amount of stress, piezoelectric materials integrated in the exterior wall structure, generate electricity; air currents in tall buildings provide sufficient for the process to begin. Felt Vacuum Wall purifies the polluted air of your city. Retrofitted to the exterior envelope of buildings, it functions as a cleansing device that attracts floating dust particles, incorporates them into its body, and outputs reusable felt. By substituting your traditional curtain wall with a performative system that purifies the atmosphere, you too can make a difference in our global cause.
 

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