Delos-Commissioned Research Underscores Effectiveness of Naava Green Wall Air Purification Technology

Mar 21, 2018 12:25 PM ET

Delos News

The future of office design has begun to turn “outside-in” as the best of the natural world begins to infiltrate our interior environments. From Amazon’s recently opened plant-filled office in Seattle, WA to Google’s biophilic Chicago headquarters, this movement is taking shape in some of the most innovative organizations and offices in the world. Leading this charge is Finnish health technology company Naava, a global pioneer in botanic indoor air purification.

Prior to partnering with Naava, Delos, a wellness real estate and technology company, wanted to put Naava’s pollutant reduction efficiency to test. Delos commissioned BRE, an independent UK-based research institute, and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to study how Naava green walls purify indoor air. Collaborating with BRE and experts from the University of Technology Sydney Plants and Environmental Quality Research Group, Delos developed a rigorous single pass efficiency test protocol.

The Naava green wall is an active biofiltration system which uses the air purification power of plants to naturally create fresh air indoors, while also enhancing interior aesthetics through biophilia. Leveraging research performed by NASA, Naava’s system actively draws air through the root zone of the plant to reduce harmful organic compounds often found in indoor air.

The study shows that Naava significantly reduces the tested chemical, a volatile organic compound (VOC) commonly found in household products. Getting the same result in triplicate – a 57% average VOC reduction rate – is evidence of the system working robustly, not by chance. This result was based on a single pass through Naava, and as air flows over and over through the biofiltration system, this result indicates that the Naava product can be an effective air purifier, reducing harmful pollutants from the air.

“This system has the potential to revolutionize the way we perceive indoor environmental quality. I feel privileged to be involved with research of this caliber, and strongly believe that this is a benchmark example of science and business working together towards making a more sustainable urban environment,” Dr. Fraser Torpy, Director of the Plants and Environmental Quality Research Group and Senior Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney.

Delos, BRE and UTS published the results to further the recognition of active green wall systems and the respective health and wellness improvements that may be offered by such systems indoors. The peer-reviewed research was published in Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health and can be read here.

You can watch how Naava air purification works and learn more here.