BREATHE BRICK . Project led by Carmen Trudell. 2016
CMU designed to passively filter air using cyclone technology. Breathe Brick modules are connected by a coupler unit that aids in collecting dirt and dust particles, protects the cyclone and helps to align the modules during construction. A drawer found at the base of the wall collects the particles and can be easily emptied. In wind tunnel tests, the Breathe Brick was able to collect 30% of fine particles (2.5 microns and smaller, comparable to smoke) and 100% of course particles (10 microns or larger, comparable to dust). A Breathe Brick wall can operate as a facade system, or as a structural gravity and lateral load bearing wall.
Received a citation in Architect Magazine’s 2015 R+D Awards and featured on ArchDaily .
Project led by: Carmen Trudell (Both Landscape and Architecture / Assistant Professor, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)
In collaboration with:
Kateri Knapp, Kyleen Hoover (RPI undergraduate students in Architecture)
Kate Hajash, Karolina Luckiewicz, & Natacha Schnider (Cal Poly undergraduate students in Architecture)
Cameron Venancio, Justin Wragg (Cal Poly undergraduate students in Mechanical Engineering)
Jennifer Thompson, Michelle Kolb (Cal Poly undergraduate students in Environmental Engineering)
Tracy Thatcher, PhD (Cal Poly Environmental Engineering Professor, experimental advisor)
Image copyright: Carmen Trudell + Natacha Schnider
![Image copyright: Carmen Trudell + Natacha Shnider](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597f563a37c58179fe2ad1c9/1502313534656-MLE224TTBAGAOMZXUCY7/01A_BreatheBrick_ExplodedModule-page-0.jpg)
![BB1.1.jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597f563a37c58179fe2ad1c9/1502314998911-GYRF1E6N4FMCBZAODY7S/BB1.1.jpg)
![BB1.2.jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597f563a37c58179fe2ad1c9/1502315003565-JA2F3K1NCWX95MGJ2L7R/BB1.2.jpg)
![Image copyright: Carmen Trudell + Natacha Shnider](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597f563a37c58179fe2ad1c9/1502313534251-KXTRWLBFBWJFIVS8YJDT/06_BreatheBrick_WallSystemDiagram.jpg)
![Image copyright: Carmen Trudell](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597f563a37c58179fe2ad1c9/1502313535065-3A01AHNTIWO0YCU50IA5/03A_BreatheBrickWallSections-page-0.jpg)
![Image: Karolina Luckiewicz](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597f563a37c58179fe2ad1c9/1502314994190-T4B6G0GEUI2XQUXQW84A/BB.4.jpg)
![BB.3.jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597f563a37c58179fe2ad1c9/1502315011029-E39L90NUACDSSMAOM02Q/BB.3.jpg)