WESSTCORP BUSINESS INCUBATOR

NEW WESSTCORP BUSINESS INCUBATOR TO FEATURE INDOOR GREEN 'LIVING WALL' TO KEEP AIR FRESH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—November 14, 2008

ALBUQUERQUE – Studio Southwest Architects has teamed with Nedlaw Living Walls to install a “living wall” in the new WESSTCORP Business Incubator that will keep indoor air fresh through the use of plants.

Shary Adams, a principal at Studio Southwest who is the architect for the WESST incubator, explained, “This is the first installation of this kind of wall outside of the Northeastern United States.  In addition to being better for the environment in the building, the wall could potentially create energy savings because it will reduce the amount of air that needs to be cooled in the summer by more traditional means.”

Called the Naturaire living wall, it measures 17 feet wide by 24 feel tall and resembles a decorative vertical plantscape that contains a wide range of foliage and flowering plants specifically selected for Albuquerque’s climate and the building.  Actually however, the plant wall is an integrated part of the air handling system for the building.  Air is actively drawn through the wall of plants, then highly specialized biological components degrade pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene into harmless constituents of water and carbon dioxide.  The clean air is then distributed throughout the space by a mechanical system.

“The Naturaire living wall is the result of more than 14 years of research and is truly a model for blending art and science to deal with real problems of indoor air quality in an attractive and sustainable way,” Adams said.

The wall was designed by Nedlaw Living Walls (formerly Air Quality Solutions Ltd), headed by Alan Darlington, PhD.  Dr. Darlington was named as one of the 25 top true believers in the environmental movement for his work by Outdoor Magazine in 2005.  He is an award-winning academician and entrepreneur who holds a number of ‘green’ patents integral to the living wall.

Darlington said the biofilter will improve the incubator’s indoor environment in a number of ways, including reducing the levels of contaminants, temperature and humidity in the indoor space.  He added there is increasing evidence that the “greening” of indoor space can also improve the well-being of the individuals who work in that space by reducing their stress levels, increasing their productivity and reducing absenteeism.

Darlington and Adams first met in the mid 1990s when both were very active in the living wall community in Toronto, Canada.  Adams said, “Dr. Darlington has amazing foresight in envisioning

NEW WESSTCORP BUSINESS INCUBATOR TO FEATURE  INDOOR GREEN ‘LIVING WALL’ To Keep Air Fresh—Only add biological air cleaning systems that can improve the environment in all sectors.  He continues to do groundbreaking research in systems such as this wall to clean environments ranging from the mining industry to space.  I’m very excited to have this opportunity to work with him again and believe the WESST incubator will set the standard for sustainable air handling in Albuquerque, the state of New Mexico and the Southwest for many years to come.”

Adams noted the new wall is one of the very few green plant-based technologies to be granted points towards the building’s LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification.

 The WESSTCORP Business Incubator project, located at 609 Broadway Blvd. NE in downtown Albuquerque, is a 36,600 square foot facility consisting of training and conference rooms; administrative support space; a computing center; retail, office, artisan, and manufacturing areas and special purpose spaces.  It is owned by the City of Albuquerque and will be operated by the Women’s Economic Self-Sufficiency Team (WESST) Corporation, a statewide economic development organization committed to growing New Mexico’s economy by cultivating entrepreneurship.  Incorporated in 1988 as a 501(c)3 non-profit, WESST places particular emphasis on helping low-income women and minorities achieve financial self-sufficiency through sustained self-employment.

The WESSTCORP Business Incubator will revitalize a portion of a downtown block and is envisioned to become a model for sustainable design as well as sustainable incubator practices.  It will be the first city-owned building to be built to the LEED Silver specifications of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.
The approximately $6 million business incubator is scheduled to be completed by the end of November 2008.  Gerald Martin is the General Contractor.