An article by the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle originally published in April 2016.
Text: Jenni Frilander, Yle
Pictures: Mikko Koski, Yle
The air we breathe is full of impurities. Bad indoor air affects even our cognitive performance, which means that it weakens our brain functions. Patented green walls of a Finnish company clean indoor air a hundred times more effectively than regular indoor plants.
In a research conducted by Harvard, the employees working in offices with a less than average amount of pollutants and carbon dioxide in the indoor air, had better performance than those working in typical offices with poor indoor air. For six days, the employees worked as usual but the air quality was modified, for example the levels of carbon dioxide and evaporating organic compounds in the indoor air were changed.
Brain functions were measured with nine different tasks. Air quality had the biggest effect in crisis situations, strategic thinking and using of information. Participating in the research were architects, programmers, engineers and marketing professionals, among others.
The Finnish company making green walls for offices, one of the most promising start-ups according to Forbes, is researching the same phenomenon with big Finnish companies.
-Our research is not finished yet, but after a month we will know if a smart green wall really can make us smarter, says Naturventions’ (now known as Naava) co-founder Aki Soudunsaari.
The microbes in the roots purify air
We “eat” 14 kg of indoor air daily and spend 90% of our time inside. The air we breathe is full of impurities from floor materials, furniture and paints, but also from strong detergents. A green wall draws these impurities through the roots of the plants and the roots’ microbes dissolve the harmful compounds for nutrition for the plants.
According to Naturvention (now known as Naava) one green wall's air purification efficiency is the same as 8000 regular green plants'. The plants grow in a growth medium, which is based on NASAs space research, and activates the roots to purify the air.
-We utilize the microbes in the roots of the plants for air purification just like a sewage farm naturalizes water. The air is drawn through the roots of the plants and pushed back to the room with fans. So, it is a biological air purifier, says Soudunsaari.
The green wall also monitors the air quality and sends information of the changes to our wireless cloud-service. With the help of the data, the functions of the wall, such as humidity levels, can be adjusted remotely.
Students: The indoor air has improved at Hanken
The Hanken School of Economics has been using green walls for a bit over a year.
-We wanted to improve the students’ conditions for studying. We know that many of our students spend long times here studying for exams. We know that good indoor air helps you to stay focused, says Hanken's contact and communication leader Niina Olin.
Over a third of the students say that the indoor air has clearly improved. There are also less complaints about headaches. Emma Villeneuve, a financing student who gladly studies close to a green wall at Hanken, also agrees with this.
-These are very nice. Maybe I’ve been exposed to street dust and pollen and here it’s easier to breathe. At least I feel like it. Maybe the fact that you don’t see so much green in Finland, when the winter is long and summer short, so these give extra vitality, says Villeneuve.
Text originally published on Yle's website 20.4.2016.
Translation: Pia Kiviranta