An outdoor Breathing Wall unveiled as part of a new ‘pocket park’ in St Leonards is the first of its kind, but hopefully not for long. The Junglefy Breathing Wall is part of the Mitchell Street Plaza, which has been transformed with the plant walls, new seating, trees and bike racks. Located next to the Pacific Highway, the structures will screen the area from traffic and reduce noise pollution, but the most interesting feature is their capacity to act as an air filter. The double-walled structures are filled with nearly 6,000 plants that filter out vehicle exhaust as well as VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) in order to produce cleaner air. As opposed to a standard green wall or vertical garden, breathing walls are fitted with interior fans to draw air in and push it out through the exterior plant life. This speeds up the filtration process by increasing air circulation. As a world first in urban engineering, the wall and surrounding areas will be subjected to ongoing air quality testing by the Plants and Environmental Quality Research Group from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). Initial results are expected by the end of the year and, if positive, could result in more breathing walls being rolled out across Sydney and Australia.
Junglefy also installed Australia’s first indoor breathing wall last year at the Lendlease headquarters in Barangaroo.
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