A Giant Balloon, Massive Air Purifiers, and the 2024 Olympics
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1 min read
Imagine a large balloon suspended in your office, one that changes color depending on the current mood of the room. People rushing to get last-minute projects done? It's red. A slow Friday with free donuts in the breakroom? It’s blue.
Right now, there is a similar kind of balloon in Europe; except instead of mood, the color indicates air quality, and instead of a being in an office, it’s a giant hot air balloon suspended above the city of Paris.
The Air Quality Balloon
For decades, people have paid special attention to the air quality of the city hosting the Olympic Games. Pollution can negatively affect the performance of athletes—especially those with respiratory conditions. Host cities not only take measures to improve air quality but also to put anxious minds at rest.
The Ballon de Paris Generali, a partner of Airparif, uses 6,400 LED bulbs to change its color like a chameleon to provide a real-time air quality indicator for Parisians, visitors, and athletes. This balloon also maintains its own appearance with a self-cleaning photocatalytic stain, ensuring the indicating colors will not be dimmed by layers of pollution.
Olympic-Sized Air Purifiers
In a partnership with Aerophile, Paris installed several massive air purifiers around the Olympic Village, where competitors are housed. These air purifiers work in four main stages:
- Polluted air is sucked into the air purifier
- Pollutants undergo ionization
- Pollutants are trapped in an electrostatic filter
- Clean air is released
This process filters at least 95% of PM10, PM2.5, and PM0.1, showering passersby in streams of clean air. It’s an innovative solution that, if successful, may be continued outside of the Games, bringing a much needed breath of fresh air to cities around the globe.
Sources
Air Quality Balloon - Aerophile
Paris 2024: Purifying the Air Surrounding the Village des Athlètes - ArchiExpo e-Magazine
