Lifewall: Pollution-eating vertical gardens

Spanish company Ceracasa recently debuted a new spin on the vertical garden: Lifewall, a tile-based system designed to absorb pollution and convert it to fertilizer that feeds drip-irrigated plants. The square-meter-sized tiles can be arranged on a building’s facade in any pattern, and come in white, ivory, tobacco, and various shades of grey. The Lifewall system was designed by architect Emilio Llobat of Maqla Architects, Azahar Energy and Ceracasa, who chose porcelain Bionictile for the solid tiles, which are effective in soaking up polluting nitrogen oxide from the air. Using the sun’s UV rays and water vabor, the tiles transform this nitrogen oxide into a potent fertilizer for the plants housed in the neighborhing Lifewall plant tiles. While the concept seems complicated, the result is simply stunning (and darn smart). Ceracasa will soon be offering Lifewall internationally.