Technology with air-cleaning power of 275 trees arrives in London

Technology that offers 275 times the air-cleaning capability of a single tree has arrived in London.

CityTree is now in place on the corner of Air Street and Glasshouse Street, near Piccadilly Circus.

Created by German firm Green City Solutions, the device uses a combination of mosses and plants to remove harmful particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide from the air.

The installation has a built-in watering and IoT monitoring system that maintains and measures the performance of the living parts.

Property business The Crown Estate worked with Westminster City Council and cleantech company Evergen Systems, exclusive UK supplier of CityTree, to bring the technology to London.

James Cooksey, director for Central London at The Crown Estate, said: “As one of central London’s major landowners, we want to play our role in improving London’s air quality to ensure our city remains a brilliant place for everyone who lives, works and visits here.

“There is no simple solution, so alongside our work to reduce carbon emissions from our buildings and reduce the number of vehicles on our roads, we want to test and learn from new technology.”

He continued: “That’s why we’re delighted to be launching the first CityTree in London with the support of Westminster City Council and Evergen. Its arrival in London is testament to the power of partnership, and it is partnerships like this which will play a vital role in tackling pollution in our city in the future.”

Peter Sänger, founder and COO of Green City Solutions, commented: “In a short time, the CityTree has already become established as an effective way to create clean air environments in some of Europe’s most polluted cities.

“We are delighted that London can now be added to this list and hope to see many more CityTrees across the country in the years to come.”