This new condominium building in New York City will actually clean the air. 570 Broome, designed by Tahir Demircioglu of Builtd, will be wrapped with a new facade material that utilizes sunshine to turn contaminating agents into salt and water vapor. The self-cleaning exterior will have an equivalent impact to removing 2,000 cars from roads for a year, or that of 500 trees.
The luxury condominium, located in the West Soho neighborhood, boasts more than just floor-to-ceiling windows and 10-foot-nine-inch-tall ceilings. The exterior of the 25-story building cleans itself and the air around it. The facade material was developed in collaboration between sintered stone company Neolith and manufacturer PURETi.
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According to Neolith’s website, the exterior material consists of Neolith plates sprayed with PURETi’s “aqueous and titanium dioxide nanoparticle-based treatment.” Sunlight activates the titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which “transform the moisture in the air into oxidizing agents which destroy the nitrogen dioxide particles and contaminating agents and transform them into water vapor and salt.” The process is called photocatalysis, and it’s “repeated millions of times per second,” enabling the building to clean itself. The technology improves air quality and is anti-bacterial, anti-allergen and anti-odor. Neolith and PURETi’s technology “receives LEED points when specified,” according to Neolith.
The building’s design hearkens back to the history of the area, once called the Printing District, with “a silhouette evocative of staggered cubes,” according to Builtd. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) designed the interiors. Indoor bicycle storage, an entry garden featuring a Japanese maple tree, a lounge opening onto a landscaped terrace and double-pane windows treated with a low-emissivity glaze are among the building’s other features.
Sales for 570 Broome, which includes 54 units of one- to three-bedroom condos, began last fall.
Images courtesy of 570 Broome
