It lies at the intersections of wall art, vertical garden, and air purification system–if I understand it correctly. Elements of Nature, a student project submitted to the James Dyson Design competition by Hamit Kuralkan of Monash University, is a customizable mesh through which ivy grows and in the process is supposed to purify the air around it. It uses a water based filtering system that does not require any replacement, reducing the waste generated by metal and carbon based filters. The mesh and all modules are made of biodegradable materials.

The only maintenance required is changing the water, and, I’m not sure how they do it, but with a built in wireless interface, you can be alerted via your mobile device when it’s time to tend to the filter. That’s pretty cool. I would like such a device to alert me when all my plants need watering. And while we’re there, what about letting me know when other maintenance is required?

The Element’s air diffusers suck air particles into its system treating them with UV to kill legionella, dust mites, and other bacteria, and utilizing ionization to catch air born metal and dust particles.

The intelligent design notes the humidity generated by its water based filtering system and regulates it by de-humidifying, using peltier element as a cold surface to catch the humidity. As Ivy is a fast growing indoor plant, as it grows onto the mesh, it enhances the amount of oxygen produced by it. I need to ponder this one for a bit to see how it purifies air more than ordinary plants do just on their own. But I like the way it looks, and if nothing else, it makes a nice green wall.