The World’s First Residential Building with Natural Indoor Air to be Built in Finland

Innovative biological air purification solution installed as built-in furniture in every home

A multi-storey residential building is being planned for the Finnish Capital Region, with the aim of proactively producing natural and high quality indoor air within the residences by combining nature and technology. The solution behind the natural indoor air is the Naava smart greenwall developed by the Finnish health technology company Naturvention. The planned building will include 50-70 rental apartments, and the search for a suitable location is currently underway. The building is expected to be ready by 2018.

The project developer is Norreal Oy which has extensive experience in residential construction and management. Award-winning construction company Rakennusliike Reponen is the main contractor. These firms have previously come together to create Europe’s largest wooden multi-storey residential building in Vantaa, and have now begun constructing a passive multi-storey wooden building in Helsinki.

“For the past 15 years, Rakennusliike Reponen has focused on energy efficiency in construction which goes hand in hand with indoor air quality. In this project, improving the indoor air quality in homes is taken to a whole new level by adopting biological air purification for the first time ever in an entire building. On top of air quality, improvement in air humidity is another significant benefit, which in Finland can be a problem for many especially during winter,” Mika Airaksela, CEO of Rakennusliike Reponen says.

The human body was not created for synthetic indoor air

The air people breathe affects their health and performance. Indoor air quality is on average lower than outdoor air quality and therefore is rarely optimal for human health. Despite mechanical air ventilation systems, apartments in heavily urbanized areas are still polluted by e.g. exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke and various odors. Construction and surface materials, furniture, technical appliances and cleaning agents also release chemicals into the indoor air.

“Especially with us here in Finland, outdoor air is still relatively pure. However, the modern human has confined itself from this natural outdoor air and spends 90% of their time indoors, breathing daily an amount of over 10 000 litres of what very often is poor indoor air. Man-made mechanical air purifiers aim to make the indoor air sterile. Naturvention wants to bring the air inside, which was created in nature. The Naava greenwall adapts biologically to every space in approximately three weeks and purifies impurities and sets an appropriate air humidity level for humans in that specific space,” Naturvention’s founder and technology Director Niko Järvinen says.

“Indoor air quality has quickly risen to be one of the hottest discussion topics in living. The purpose of this construction project is to emphasize living with high quality air. In addition to producing high quality air, Naava greenwall now brings in a piece of nature as an integral part of homes in a completely new way,” Norreal CEO Roope Tammi says.

A green wall’s air purification efficiency equivalent to over 4000 ordinary houseplants

In Naava, which is based on NASA’s research, millions of microbes live and break down air impurities as nutrition for the plants in their root systems. Research has shown that the purification efficiency of each plant in a Naava is over a hundred times more effective compared to ordinary greenwalls or houseplants. One Naava is equivalent to over 4000 ordinary houseplants in purification efficiency. The patented smart greenwall also measures and adjusts indoor humidity to be optimal for human health. The air is easier to breathe, which decreases irritation on the respiratory system and mucous membrane. It neutralises odors and freshens stuffy indoor air, and decreases dust floating around in the air.

Naava also has an important visual role inside the residences. It helps bring in a natural green element into the apartment’s fixtures. Studies show that a human being is happiest when in nature. Plants and the touch of nature indoors decrease stress and increase well-being and productiveness.

The effects of Naava products on indoor air quality are being monitored with various sensors measuring air concentrations. The ventilation is being implemented as a biologically adaptive and energy-efficient solution. Construction and interior decoration materials are M1-certified or equivalent low emission materials. The smart greenwall’s allergy-friendly plants grow in soilless growth mediums which do not collect mould or cause allergic reactions.

Check out this video to see how Naava OS works!