Nedlaw Living Walls, a living wall biofilter company, has been awarded the 2016 Green Roof and Wall Award of Excellence from Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, a non-profit organization, for the 2,400 square foot biofilter at the Edmonton federal building.

Nedlaw Living Walls designed and built the green wall for the lobby of the recently revitalized Edmonton Federal Building lobby, which is known as an architectural landmark. The biofilter wall was built under the direction of Kasian, an architectural firm.

“The green wall at the Edmonton Federal building is a great addition to the public space,” said Esther Rivard-Sirois, project architect and sustainability lead at Kasian, in a press release. “It heightens the senses and brings life to the pavilion. It complements the architectural tree-like wooden beams in the pavilion and creates a warm and inviting natural environment all year long.”

The two-storey living wall biofilter covers several sides and includes a water feature, making it a distinctive focal point in the new lobby area. The biofilter works to draw in dirty air, remove pollution and return clean air to the space, improving air quality.

“This biofilter actively removes pollutants from the air, generation over 1,500 cfm (700 litres per second) of virtual fresh air,” said Dr. Alan Darlington, the technology’s founder. “That’s enough ‘fresh’ air to supply two thirds of the needs of over 150 people. And this virtual fresh air is generated using up to 90 per cent less energy than conventional air treatment systems.”

By supplying clean air at a portion of the cost of a traditional HVAC system, the living wall lowers energy costs to improve building performance. It also contributes to the humidity levels of the atrium space, which brings it closer to earning its goal of LEED Gold certification.

Dr. Darlington will accept the award of excellence at the Cities Alive 14th Annual Green Roof & Wall Conference, taking place in Washington, D.C. on November 3rd.