Design
The Tower That Sucks in Smog and Spits Out Clean Air
A Dutch designer has debuted a pollution-eating tower in Beijing, and hopes to install 800 more in public parks across China.
Air quality is so poor in Beijing that on bad days it’s hard to see buildings across the street. Strategies to live more safely in such an environment abound, and no wonder: The journal Nature recently found that air pollution leads to the premature death of three million people every year, mainly in Asia.
In addition to pervasive face masks, kids in the capital’s international schools play sports under protective domes. A British artist based in Beijing created a wacky-looking “breathing bicycle,” which filters air as the rider pedals, delivering it through a tube that snakes up to a breathing mask.