Indoor Air Quality Systems

Many modern construction materials - including furniture, carpets, electronics and insulation - give off toxic gas for years. Adhesives in chipboard, particle board, plywood, and even drywall are trapped in the home by vapor barriers and airtight seals around doors and windows.

An airtight home with prescribed levels of insulation can easily fall victim to Sick House Syndrome, a condition that can promote allergic reactions and hypersensitivity in some people, and totally debilitate others.

The Wentworth Project, while constructed with high levels of insulation and vapor barrier, is designed to overcome this condition through several features that filter and improve the indoor air quality.

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Aquaterrium

An aquaterrium is a low-cost, living organism that can be used in any home or office to clean and oxygenate indoor air.

The aquaterrium in the Wentworth Project is a compact unit that encloses tropical plants behind glass at the proper light, temperature, and humidity levels to maximize their photosynthesis. Beyond the air filtration provided by the plants, the aquaterrium cleans indoor air by pumping it through lava, rocks, water and water plants.

Aquaterrium Construction

The aquaterrium consists of an aquarium base with a grid of drilled tubes at the bottom. The tubes are covered with crushed lava stones in which aquatic plants are rooted, with duck weed floating on top.

Air is pumped through the tubes and then bubbles through the lava stones and water. Dust particles are trapped in the water where they are then filtered out.

A number of devices dehumidify the air before it re-enters the room. After filtration, the water cascades over more lava rocks to eliminate impurities. And a self-regulating water level valve automatically replaces evaporated water.

Plants Recommended by NASA

Above the water line, plants hang from suspended wire baskets. These plants are selected based on NASA recommendations for their air-cleaning qualities.

Each plant cleans a portion of the pollution found in indoor air, by removing dust and certain gases. These plants oxygenate the air and can also be used to raise or lower a home's humidity level.

For instance, Spider Plants are especially adept at absorbing formaldehyde gas from glues and foam. African and Transvaal Violets specialize in other gases produced in a household as well as cooking odors.

The densely-packed plants are bathed in full spectrum grow lights to promote photosynthesis. These lights also reduce any risk of Seasonal Affective Disorder in humans (caused by lack of sunlight in the winter months). A reflective or mirrored glass produces an optical illusion of a much bigger space with many more plants and lights.

Water from the aquarium base is drawn up cotton wicks encased in tubes to automatically water the hanging plants and reduce maintenance.

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Bio-Shelter

Wherever possible a southwest facing wall should be fitted with a glazed space to capture passive solar energy and to house plants that clean and oxygenate indoor air.

This bio-shelter can enable a homeowner to grow food even in an urban setting. This can produce a profound impact, even when a family grows just a portion of its food. It saves money for the grower, reduces pesticide intake, lowers emissions from produce delivery trucks, and shows children a natural growing cycle. And it brings families together in a manner not seen for generations.

Bio-Shelter Construction

At the Wentworth Project, the bio-shelter is more than a built-on sun space or greenhouse, and much larger than the bay window. The bio-shelter has vertical walls immune to snow or ice loading in Canadian winters. It also has an insulated roof that conserves heat, along with automated, insulating curtains, both of which drastically lower its operating costs.

The bio-shelter is essentially a large convection window that maintains a solar heat gain, growing edible plants in a small space. It uses multi-level shelving to achieve maximum results in a minimum of space.

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Geo-Thermal Air Conditioning

A geo-therm uses the constant temperature of the earth to moderate the temperature of a building's incoming air. This provides cooler, less humid air in summer and warmer air in winter. A geo-therm can use the mass of a foundation for heat storage.

In the Wentworth Project, the geo-therm uses the mass of the foundation of conventionally-poured concrete, a basement wall, and the back fill to raise the temperature of the air brought into the home.

An underground system of ducts run on a fraction of the energy required in a conventional heat exchanger, providing fresh air to the home in winter and eliminating the need for air conditioning (the third largest energy use in many homes).

Geo-therm Construction

Installation is inexpensive if done before backfilling during construction.

A bottom cloth-covered drain is laid in gravel, with two more cloth-covered drains added on top. Each drain is separated by about 18 inches from one another, and the top two are at least 6 inches above the bottom drain. This ensures that water does not back up into the ducts. These ducts are covered by another 12 inches of river pebbles or crushed gravel and a final layer of sand before the backfill is added.

Air is sent into the ducts by 12-volt automobile radiator fans housed in an tower placed above grade. A bug screen and louvers keep pests out of the tower.

Once inside the ducts, air is dehumidified by the lower temperature in the tubes. The condensation drains through the duct walls, then the gravel, and finally the drain. This system provides only marginal cooling, but the outflowing air feels substantially cooler due to its lower humidity.

Excess hot air can be vented from the house in summer through roof vents with a 12-volt fan. The l2-volt fans can be run off the photovoltaic panels and batteries directly with no need for a step-up inverter.

If necessary for a given site, a ground sheet can be used under the drain to eliminate any chance of radon gas infiltration. A check valve on the drain will any possible entry for the radon.