Pura Approach

Air Purifier

Open ended studio project

Design a product that has a emphasis on sustainability / social responsibility.

Date:

Fall 2024

Duration:

2 Months

Tools:

As air purifier usage rises so does filter waste. 12 million pounds of filter waste is produced annually. These filters contain non biodegradable materials and have a effect for decades. Air pollution is not limited to the outdoors; the air we breathe indoors can be heavily polluted as well. Smokes, vapors, mold dust, and allergens have a real effect on our health.

yearly growth of filter waste in the United States over the last 7 years.

66%

of millennials are concerned about indoor air quality across the United States and Europe. (Panasonic).

Teardown

At the start of this project, I had limited knowledge of how air purification systems work. I wanted a complete understanding of the products I was designing, so I tore down three units and studied their internal components and airflow paths. Those findings directly impacted my later concepts and design decisions.

I explored a multitude of filtration methods before narrowing it down to 3 final option. A mycelium based filter was chosen for its feasibility and design flexibility.

Concept 1

Living FIlter

Concept 2

Biochar pellets

Concept 3

Mycelium based filter

Concept 1

User's vote: 3

Concept 2

User's vote: 5

Concept 3

User's vote: 22

The most promising ideas from early ideation were developed into more detailed concepts and shown to 30 potential users for feedback. Based on that input, the mushroom inspired form was selected because it visually communicates the filter based function and offers a distinctive silhouette compared with existing products on the market.

CMF Exploration

Multiple CMF directions were explored using physical materials and color samples. User feedback was incorporated to refine and validate the strongest concepts.