AirBubble, A Restorative Biotech Garden in Switzerland

A bio-design project that uses living algae and medicinal plants to create a restorative outdoor space.

Since its founding in 2005, London-and Turin-based ecoLogicStudio has been focusing on the integration of biotechnological system into indoor and outdoor spaces. The firm’s innovative work aims to enhance people’s well-being – both at home and at work. We have previously written about ecoLogicStudio’s ingenious AIReactor, a cutting-edge, desktop air purifier. Now, the team has take the biotechnological design concept further with AirBubble, a restorative space created for a Swiss consumer healthcare company.

Designed to improve both physical and mental well-being, AirBubble brings people closer to nature. Located in Nyon, Switzerland, the new garden occupies some of the green areas of the healthcare company’s factory grounds. Using air-purifying algae cultures and medicinal plants, this restorative spaces improves physical and mental health while promoting relaxation through a multi-sensory experience. Additionally, the location encourages interactions between employees working in different departments.

“We researched the origins of pharmaceutical manufacturing by studying the medicinal garden of Padua, Italy, where medicinal essences and plants were grown as part of a community park. We then translated this concept into the biodigital era, where substances can once again be cultivated in the public realm,” says Marco Poletto, co-founder of ecoLogicStudio.

A bio-design project, AirBubble integrates the PhotoSynthetica™ technology, launched by ecoLogicStudio in 2018. At the center of the garden, a circular structure made with timber supports with an ETFE membrane provides sheltered seating. Inside, the middle section of the wooden structure houses 36 borosilicate glass containers with 350 liters of living algae cultures. The green algae not only filter the air pollution, but also consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen. An inverted conical roof enhances air circulation and ventilation, improving the filtering process at the same time.

Healing body and mind while protecting nature.

AirBubble provides a multi-sensory experience. Apart from admiring the deep green colors of the garden, visitors can also listen to the bubbling sound of the living algae filtering system. Easy to harvest, the edible algae biomass can be used in different ways, from ingredient in food and drinks at the company’s canteen to fertilizer for the garden or the nearby wild meadow.

On the ground, there’s a tactile and soft rubber material with a mix of natural green and brown colors. Corten steel elements with beautiful weathered surfaces create a central sculpture and seating. Made of eco-friendly, renewable cork, the seats are comfortable and durable.

A medicinal garden surrounds the central space. Carefully chosen, the 47 plants have different healing properties and include both common and rarer species. With plants that flower from spring-summer or fall-winter, visitors can always find vegetation in bloom in the garden.

The entire project focuses on nature, so it’s natural that AirBubble is exceptionally sustainable. The wooden structure sits lightly on the land with 26 ground screws that don’t disrupt the landscape. Local plants grow around the circular volume, while a rainwater collection system irrigates the garden naturally. Additionally, this restorative space features an air quality monitoring system that measures six core pollutants.

Leading the way in biotechnology systems integrated in architecture, interior design and landscape design projects, ecoLogicStudio has completed other similar work, including an AirBubble playground in Warsaw, Poland, and an AirBubble inflatable air-purifying eco-machine installation at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Photography © Pepe Fotografia.

Insta/Twitter

Introducing AirBubble, an innovative bio-design project completed by @ecologicstudio. Using living algae and medicinal plants, this garden promotes physical and mental well-being, providing a blueprint for the future of sustainable architecture. Photography by @pepe_fotografia