AN ELEGANT FORM OF AIR PURIFICATION
In 2010, Cooper-Hewitt held its 
A good example is the «Giant Mesh Wall» in
Mexico, designed by a German company
called Elegant Embellishments. This wall is
currently being built around a hospital. The
filtering wall will be able to tackle problems of
air pollution, such as smog. The shaped
openings are able to slow down the external
wind and simoultaneously create a turbulence
that will attract more air particles. The main
depolluting material is a Titanium Dioxide
nano-surface, which breaks down
contaminated air into clean air.
The evolution of air filtration systems has led
to the formation of unique architectural
materials that will hopefully solve a large scale
issue of pollution as well as generate energy
from it.
fourth installment of the National Design Triennial series, featuring
global design innovations that addressed environmental and social
challenges. ProSolve 370e was among the projects displayed in the
exhibition, selected because it represents a practical and elegant
design solution for environmental needs. Since the exhibition, I
continue to be drawn to the design for its sculptural form and visual
complexity, seemingly inspired by the molecular technology it
contains.
The ProSolve 370e system consists of modular architectural tiles
coated with titanium dioxide that, when activated by daylight,
neutralizes nitrogen oxides—harmful for their effect on the
respiratory system, acid rain, and ozone depletion—in the
surrounding environment. While the antimicrobial and air-purifying
effects of titanium dioxide have been known for years, it is the form
and application of ProSolve that is particularly innovative. The tiles
are designed for absolute material efficiency, exposing more surface
area to daylight to activate the pollution-fighting technology.
ProSolve is intended for installation as a functional, and quite
topographical, element on an existing building façade, enabling the
building to perform in ways other than initially intended. Most
recently, ProSolve 370e was installed as an 
exterior facade on a hospital in Mexico City. The elegant, organic
form becomes a memorable signifier on the building, reminding
passersby of the city’s air pollution problem.
• The lacey façade was inspired by quasicrystal patterns, resulting in a white geometric shade that covers the
front of the building. Spanning almost 27,00 square feet, the cleansing screen stretches across the Avenida
San Fernando at the one end of the hospital. Mexico City is a densely populated, heavily trafficked city, with
many older cars on the road that produce high carbon emissions, making it an ideal place to install a
cleansing façade.
• The ornate double skin was designed by Prosolve, and it was chosen for its anti-microbial and de-polluting
properties that also create a beautiful design statement. Prosolve tiles are coated with superfine titanium
dioxide, which fights pollution when activated by ambient daylight. When installed near heavy traffic or on
building facades, the tiles help to neutralize emissions and other toxins, stopping them dead in their tracks. A
network of the tiles not only helps to clean the air entering their host buildings, but also the air in the urban
setting.
• Aside from acting as an incredible urban air filter, the prosolve370e skin acts as a natural light filtration
system and solar gain blocker for the interior of the Hospital Manuel Gea Gonzalez, effectively saving the
hospital’s energy bill for climate control and light.

• prosolve370e is a decorative architectural module that can effectively reduce air pollution in cities when
installed near traffic ways or on building facades.
• The modules are coated with a superfine titanium dioxide (TiO2), a pollution-fighting technology that is
activated by ambient daylight. Employing a unique configuration of this technology, the tiles neutralize air
pollutants when sited near traffic or densely polluted conditions.
• As a modification to existing architectural surfaces, prosolve370e essentially “tunes buildings” to respond
better to their immediate environments. 
• The modules have been installed across the globe, with projects in Mexico, Australia, and Unite Arab
Emirates.  
• In 2012, prosolve370e was installed at Torre de Especialidades, Hospital Manuel Gea Gonzales.  According to
recent technology studies, it is reducing the pollution of 1,000 cars per day
• A pollution-eating facade module
3D Architectural Tiles

• prosolve370e is a decorative architectural module

that can effectively reduce air pollution in cities when
installed near traffic ways or on building facades.
• The modules are coated with a superfine titanium
dioxide (TiO2), a pollution-fighting technology that is
activated by ambient daylight. Employing a unique
configuration of this technology, the tiles neutralize
air pollutantswhen sited near traffic or densely
polluted conditions.
• The modules are a functional, yet highly decorative
modular ornament that achieve a synergy between
design form and molecular technology. Inspired by
fractals in nature, the undulating shapes maximize
the surface area of active coating to diffuse light, air
turbulence and pollution.
• As a modification to existing architectural surfaces,
prosolve370e essentially “tunes buildings” to respond
better to their immediate environments.
Key points:
• effectively reduces air pollution (NOx,VOCs, SO2)
• a modular system of few tooled parts
• forms decorative, non-repetitive patterns for facades
• made from lightweight thermoformed plastic panels
• a standardized system for exterior and interior
applications
• semi-customizable to project conditions
• an innovative, eco product
• Applications:
• building facades
• car parks
• traffic tunnels/ transport entrances
• along motorways or urban circulars
• The 2500m2 quasicrystal facade is composed of
prosolve370e modules- three dimensional
architectural modules with photocatalytic
pollution-fighting technology
• prosolve370e is a decorative architectural
module that reduces air pollution in urban
environments
• The modules are a functional, yet highly
decorative modular ornament that achieve a
synergy between design form and molecular
technology. Inspired by fractals in nature, the
undulating shapes maximize the surface area of
active coating to diffuse light, air turbulence and
pollution
• The modules contain superfine titanium dioxide
(TiO2), a pollution-fighting technology that is
activated by ambient daylight
• When positioned near pollution sources, the
modules break down and neutralize NOx
(nitrogen oxides), VOCs (volatile organic
compounds), SO2, and FPM directly where they
are generated
• Derived from a quasicrystal grid, the underlying
mathematical grid generates patterns that
appear irregular, yet are made of only two
constituent types
• This modularity creates aperiodic, biomimetic
tesselations that bear strong semblance to
sponges or corals
• The tiling method ultimately enables visual
randomness, typically associated with the
bespoke, to occur in a modular system. As a
modification to traditional built structures,
prosolve370e essentially “tunes buildings” to
perform better to the invisible criteria of air
pollution
• How It Works
• Depolluting technology

• The modules are coated with a superfine titanium dioxide (TiO2), a

pollution-fighting technology that is activated by ambient daylight.
This is the nano photocatalytic version of conventional TiO2
commonly used as pigment and already known for its self-cleaning
and germicidal qualities. It requires only small amounts of naturally
occurring UV light and humidity to effectively reduce air pollutants
into harmless amounts of carbon dioxide and water.
• When positioned near pollution sources, the coated tiles break
down and neutralize NOx (nitrogen oxides) and VOCs (volatile
organic compounds) directly where they are generated.
• The design of the tiles is generated to maximize the coating
technology, achieving new levels of surface area and complexity,
capturing omni-directional light where light is dense or scarce. The
sculptural surfaces maintain an inherent synergy between design
form and the molecular technology.
Top Illustration
Combustion engines emit harmful toxins such as NOx and VOCs
while running, and also emit VOCs, ozone and particulate matter
while resting. 
Bottom Illustration
A photocatalytic screen positioned between cars and people would
trap and filter many of the harmful by-products of combustion
engines
• Derived from a five-fold symmetric pattern, the underlying substrate
for the tiling is a mathematical grid that appears irregular, yet is
made of few constituent parts.
• The new, non-orthogonal grid creates a seemingly non-repetitive,
tiled pattern, resulting in visual randomness, a desirable aesthetic
that is typically achieved through bespoke design and expense.
• The modularity of the system enables complex architectural shapes
to be accessible, benefiting from economies of scale.
• While the pattern resembles organic growth, the system is still
composed with only two repeating modules
• prosolve370e is proposed as a decorative facade module, with specifically-developed joints that are able to translate the pattern to
standard, off-the-shelf, cladding equipment.
• The tiles are made of a lightweight thermoformed fire-rated ABS plastic shell, joined with standard steel fixings.
• As a decorative module, the tiles have potential to regenerate aged facades, ornament a modernist facade, or provide an appealing face
to buildings which lack identity or community significance.
• Proposals for installations have ranged from carparks to mixed-use/housing to hospital facades.