Olus is a compact, biophilic air purifier designed for those living in small city spaces and is stocked with 100% fully biodegradable filters to combat landfill waste.
In major cities, dealing with air pollution is a given. We check the AQI just like we check the weather. As soon as the AQI slips into the yellow and worse yet, red territories, that’s when our air purifiers start whirring. However, living in small city spaces makes dragging bulky air purifiers from the closet feel like a chore and when everyone’s using one, the waste produced from discarding used air filters becomes another problem. That’s why Louie Duncan created Olus, a compact, biophilic air purifier designed with 100% fully biodegradable air filters.
Breathing in polluted air is physically unhealthy and the mental strain that comes from dealing with its effects only amplifies the stress. Then, the waste produced as a result makes poor air quality that much more difficult to combat, garnering 6,000 tonnes of air filter waste every year, all of which ends up in landfills. Most air purifiers carry a bulky build and almost clinical aesthetic, so Duncan aimed to give Olus an inviting look with biophilic accents that warm up its personality to enhance the product-user relationship. A digital display panel also reveals the room’s AQI, temperature, and other data.
Taking to nature for inspiration, Olus features organic forms, patterns, and textures like a moss-covered exterior and abstract trims that resemble flower petals. The filter, fan, and motor encased inside Olus’s body operate the product’s purification method in a similar fashion to most air purifiers, except Olus only works with 100% fully biodegradable filters.
The two-stage air filtration process purifies the air in any room, with the interior fan drawing in air to push through a layer of dried moss that removes large pollutants before passing through a high-efficiency particulate air filter that removes 90% of fine particulate matter. The plant-based biodegradable air filters are made from polylactic acid, a derivative of corn plants, and can be sent to Olus following use where they’ll be composted.
Designer: Louie Duncan x Christian P Kerrigan Architecture
An interior look reveals that even the encased fan resembles flower petals.
The fan, filtration system, and motor are stacked inside of Olus.
Dried moss coats the exterior of Olus with a preliminary filtration system.
Users can easily replace the air filters by dissembling Olus into three parts.
Duncan created Olus to have an air purifier on the market that produces zero waste while cleaning the air we breathe.
