Since 2021, ecoLogicStudio has been exploring how to integrate biotechnological systems into architecture, interior design, and landscape design. The regenerative AirBubble space, designed for a Swiss healthcare company, establishes a new symbiosis between nature and humans: it is the world’s first biotechnological garden for health, combining purifying algae cultures with medicinal plants. This project pioneers a new concept of space that balances work, mental and physical health, relaxation, and interaction between employees from various departments. (Cover image AirBubble, ph. Pepe Fotografia)
AirCampus, a New Architectural Typology
Located in Nyon (Switzerland), in the green area surrounding the company’s facilities, the project is part of a new architectural solution for workplace health and well-being called AirCampus. It includes the regenerative AirBubble space, a replicable and scalable architectural system that can be installed in any workplace environment worldwide; the AirOffice, an indoor symbiotic workspace combining advanced gardening and air filtration; and the AIReactor, a desktop air purifier previously featured on WeVux.
Additionally, the project brings a fresh perspective to Nyon on the relationship between the workplace and landscape design, reinventing the model of the pre-industrial botanical garden and surpassing that of contemporary healthcare industries.
How AirBubble is Made
AirBubble consists of a 6-meter-high cylindrical wooden structure, connected on three levels and wrapped in an ETFE membrane. The central section houses the PhotoSynthetica™ technology, developed by the studio in 2018: 36 large borosilicate glass bioreactors containing 350 liters of living green algae cultures, capable of filtering a flow of polluted air at a rate of 150 liters per minute. The biomass collected can then be incorporated into the cafeteria menu as algae-based drinks and plant-based protein bread, or used as fertilizer for the wild lawn and the set of 47 medicinal plants surrounding the space. This process is enhanced by the architectural morphology of the space: the inverted cone-shaped roof membrane further stimulates air recirculation and natural ventilation.
Inside the space, visitors walk on a rubber surface leading to a large seating area on two levels. Two Corten steel sheets form a central sculpture where the roof membrane converges into a small garden for rainwater collection. A second Corten element marks the perimeter where 11 seats are fixed into the rubber surface. These seats are made from damp cork chips, releasing a natural resin.
A New Botanical Garden Model
Designed to have minimal impact on the ground, the wooden structure is anchored with 26 ground screws, leaving the landscape undisturbed and fully reversible. Additionally, by implementing local plants that grow according to the seasons and integrating rainwater collection, the AirBubble space does not require irrigation, thus preserving natural resources. The regenerative space is surrounded by a medicinal garden made up of 47 planters. Near the main structure, four types of plants bloom in autumn and winter. Moving away from the center, 16 species that bloom in spring and summer are distributed, including common medicinal plants and those with more specific properties.
The project includes a monitoring system that integrates urban air pollution sensors and measures the Air Quality Index for six main pollutants: fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ground-level ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO). AirBubble can absorb 97% of nitrogen and 75% of particulate matter from the air.
The regenerative space is part of a broader initiative aimed at raising public awareness of the impact of air pollution on human health. Previous chapters of this commitment include the AirBubble playground in Warsaw, the inflatable eco-machine for air purification installed at COP26, COP27, and the Saudi Design Festival, and the AirLab presented in London. To discover all ecoLogicStudio projects and learn more about AirCampus, visit their website and follow them on Instagram!