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French designer Mathieu Lehanneur and Harvard professor David Edwards have teamed up to bring us one step closer to cleaner air with their Bel-Air plant-based filter. This so-called "domestic spacecraft " utilizes the natural recycling qualities of the plant kingdom to absorb toxic compounds in the air, emitted by common household items.

bel-air

Lehanneur notes that when the first NASA astronauts returned from their celestial voyages, levels of toxic compounds in their tissues were abnormally high, presumably due to atmospheric leakage from the components of the actual craft itself. The off-gases from the insulation, fire retardants and plastics that the shuttles consisted of were slowly poisoning them. And so may be the case in our personal environments as well, hence the need for this space-agey encased greenery.

This "live filter" takes in these nefarious emissions invisible to humans, absorbing the toxic compounds through the roots and leaves of the plant. Among others, gerbero, philodendron, spaythyphyllum and pathos are said to be particularly superior in removing pollutants.

feed me!

Le Laboratoire, a creative space which seeks to bring artists and science together, has recently opened in central Paris, founded by David Edwards. Bel-Air: News About a Second Atmosphere is a current installation. Also in store for this revolutionary plant-based air filter is a stint at the MOMA in New York in 2008, so make sure to take some deep breaths when you go.

Sources: mocoloco and seedartscience

Sarah O
Innovative Interiors
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