Bel-Air is a filtration system designed by Mathieu Lehanneur, which uses living plants to purify the air indoors.
The purifier is currently on show at the Laboratoire in Paris and will be included in MoMA’s exhibition Design and the Elastic Mind, opening in February.
The following information is from Mathieu Lehanneur:
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The air quality indoors is worse than outdoors. Plastic used for furniture production emits pollutants such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. Their levels are highest during warm and humid periods.
Crucially for the health of NASA’s astronauts, who stay in orbital station in a polymer-saturated environment, the American agency set up an air purifying system which resulted from a program of research into plants in the early 1980’s.
With Bel-Air, this program is now completed and optimized by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, together with the American scientist David Edwards (
Bel-Air is a mini mobile greenhouse that continuously inhales the space-polluted air, forces it through three natural filters (the plant leaves, its roots, and a humid bath) before ejecting it, purified.
This patented principal has two advantages: Bel-Air is to the American and Asiatic common filter appliances what Dyson is to regular vacuum cleaners. Here, the noxious particles are captured, and transformed inside the system. No more filters to change, and no more clogs.
As for the aesthetic, Bel-Air breaks the codes. The plant is removed from its ornamental status and becomes a true object of service. As a vegetal brain enclosed in an aluminium and Pyrex cranial box, Bel-Air is the cutting-edge of new objects and guardian angels that will soon protect us.
Bel-Air - News about a Second Atmosphere, is currently presented in
First two images © Mathieu Lehanneur
Third image © Marc Domage
Fourth image © Véronique Huyghe
Last image © Bruno Cogez
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Posted by Rose Etherington
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Posted by Rose Etherington
poor, poor plants.. what have they done to you?
November 30th, 2007 at 2:05 ama good design!
November 30th, 2007 at 5:29 amSuperbe projet, bravo Mathieu !
November 30th, 2007 at 4:06 pmSuperb project, congrats Mathieu!
inspiration for my up coming graduation project. great job!
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:17 amA nice aquarium with live aquatic plants and a air filter pump and water circulating pump accomplishes the same thing.
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:04 amSurely the rate of absorption by the plants leaves and roots cannot be changed by simply forcing more air at the plant? so why not just have an indoor house plant? however I like your concept Mathieu - more design should look at harnessing technology that already exists in Nature.
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:54 pmsee the Ted talk by Janine Benyus - http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/18
free the plants!!!
this is cruelty to the fauna!
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:01 pmbravo pour ta mise en pot
December 4th, 2007 at 4:36 pmsigné matali
thank you matalie!
December 4th, 2007 at 5:36 pmBrilliant! I think you should sell them! Looks nice - green and white.
December 18th, 2007 at 8:02 amWho cares about all them negative people! MAKE YOUR MARK-BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE STEALS YOUR IDEAS!
bravo c’est génial! je voudrais bien en acheter un!
December 29th, 2007 at 12:18 pmSo how can I buy a prototype to test?
January 9th, 2008 at 3:24 amnice…Well Done! i like to buy one of those.
January 17th, 2008 at 4:11 amHow can I purchase a prototype? I am really interested. Please reply, even if they are not available now.
THANK YOU!
January 31st, 2008 at 4:55 amSorry to point it out, but really it is not only pointless but also seemingly idiotic this so called “new concept”. why on earth would someone think putting a perfectly natural filter a plant is, in a capsule that not only doesn’t let the plant develop to its maximum extent but obviously requires such a huge amount of resources to fabricate this artifact that obviously contradicts the whole “green theme” around it.
February 18th, 2008 at 3:41 amI mean, as a piece of art… or even interior design if you may… i can say it has its interesting points…
but as a really applicable gadget for every home i think it is not viable nor intelligent.
Sebastian. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dear Mr or Mrs
We hope all is well with you..
We are interested in your product.
You are kindly requested to send us more information & sample .
Our business is airfreshners & related items.
BEST REGARDS
February 29th, 2008 at 6:15 amI’m quite surprise there was no other project since Nasa found the plants against house pollution…
March 8th, 2008 at 8:06 amThank you Yeahright and Sebastian.
My mother grew a window full of Philodendrons and other plants for the same purpose, when we lived in a low-income housing project during the 60’s, when I was a girl. As I currently live in an apartment near a busy thoroughfare, I now grow them, and the do a FABULOUS job. I had a chain-smoker staying with me, and he stressed them out, but he’s gone and the plants are still with me.
There’s a wonderful book called “Easy Plants for Difficult Spaces” which came out in the 70’s. The section on pollution is worth the book. Do you remember when you could smoke in the waiting rooms of doctors offices and other places? (maybe not). Anyway specific plants were there for just that purpose.
My next question. How are these plants cared for? I thought it might be a good product for my friends who are too lazy to care for plants, but if you have to care for these? I don’t know.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:29 pmI have three children. Boy 18, two twin girls ages 9 months. We all have indoor and outdoor allergies and asthma. I have bought several air purifiers, humidifiers, and none have worked well in helping the symptoms. I would like to try your product hoping it will work better in cleaning the air from my home.
I can be reached at: (347) 270-1577
my address is:
2515 Davidson Avenue #5F
Bronx, NY 10468
thank you.
May 1st, 2008 at 8:11 pm