Torre de Especialidades

Despite its absence of conceivable form and little association to construction, air pollution remained to be a key architectural consideration in many urban areas. One of which is Mexico City, to which the United Nations declared as the most polluted city in 1992. Its lowered oxygen levels due to altitude and emissions from older vehicles led to this challenge that persisted for decades.

Within the context of combatting air pollution, a hospital in Mexico City, the Torre de Especialidades, is extended and redesigned to convert air pollutants into harmless chemicals. Berlin-based design firm Elegant Embellishments installed its 2,500-sqm depolluting façade made from a quasicrystal grid of “prosolve370e” modules – three-dimensional modules with photocatalytic depolluting technology.

Inspired by fractals in nature, this façade is coated in superfine titanium dioxide that reacts with urban air pollutants upon exposure to ambient ultraviolet light. These pollutants are then broken down into less noxious compounds such as water and carbon dioxide, neutralizing chemicals produced by 8,750 cars a day.

The rippling morphologies of this façade also maximize the surface area of its active covering – simultaneously diffusing light, air turbulence, and particulates. The manifestation of the synergy between its design form and molecular technology proves that facades can work as natural receivers of new technologies over large urban areas. By promoting activity in its rather dormant surfaces, Torre de Especialidades promises better performance in tuning against the invisible criteria of air pollution.