Alcoa Unveils Building Facade that Cleans Surrounding Air

Aluminum company Alcoa (NYSE: AA) announced a green building innovation that could open a new chapter for the industry.

The company unveiled an architectural panel for buildings that can actually clean the air around it.

According to Alcoa and technology partner TOTO, its self-cleaning technology reduces maintenance costs and helps with the decomposition of smog and other pollutants, from dirt to diesel fumes, which cling to building surfaces.

Alcoa says the 10,000 square feet of the product, dubbed Reynobond with EcoClean, has the approximate air cleansing power of 80 trees.

Alcoa scientists developed a proprietary process that leverages patented Hydrotect technology from Japan’s TOTO to apply a titanium dioxide coating, called EcoClean, to the pre-painted aluminum surface of Reynobond. The result is an aluminum panel that, when combined with sunlight, acts as a catalyst to break down organic pollutants on its surface and in the air around it, like smog, into harmless matter which is then washed away by rainwater.

"Our R&D in science and technology is creating new ways for aluminum building products to meet green building standards–from the use of natural cleaning products like Reynobond with EcoClean, to advanced façade solutions that help reduce CO2 emissions and energy consumption," said Craig Belnap, president, Alcoa Architectural Products.

Reynobond with EcoClean will debut at the AIA 2011 National Convention and Design Exposition on May 12 in New Orleans.