Atmospheric Aerosol Loading x Architecture and Construction Industry
By Lena Skye Markert
July 2025
The Planetary Boundary of Atmospheric Aerosol Loading refers to the concentration of microscopic particles, solid or liquid, suspended in the atmosphere. These aerosols, both natural and anthropogenic, play a critical role in climate regulation by affecting the Earth’s radiative balance and cloud formation processes. While their localized impacts on health and weather are better understood, their global influence on climate systems remains challenging to model, raising concerns over potential tipping points.
The Architecture and Construction Industry, as a major consumer of natural resources and emitter of pollutants, contributes significantly to aerosol emissions. Through activities such as cement manufacturing, mining, demolition, and the use of diesel-powered machinery, the sector releases vast quantities of particulate matter, including black carbon and sulfates, into the atmosphere. At the same time, this industry is highly vulnerable to the effects of aerosols. Urban planning, building material performance, air quality regulations, and public health considerations are all influenced by the presence of atmospheric aerosols, especially in densely populated and industrialized areas.
Understanding the impactful relationship between atmospheric aerosol loading and the built environment is essential.
Although the construction and architecture industries significantly contribute to atmospheric aerosol loading, they also hold powerful potential to mitigate their own impacts, contribute to climate resilience, and even become carbon sinks.
Moving away from extractive, single-use construction practices toward circular material flows, modular building systems, and adaptive reuse can drastically reduce aerosol-generating activities.
Redesigning cities for natural air circulation, integrating green spaces, and using low-emission materials can reduce both local pollution and global aerosol loading, benefiting climate, biodiversity, and human health.
If reoriented, the architecture and construction sectors can become key agents of planetary healing, supporting clean air, human health, and climate stability. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and policy leadership, it’s possible to build within the safe operating space for humanity, creating not just buildings, but environments that nurture us.
Positive Examples
The Bullitt Center (Seattle, USA)
Known as the “greenest commercial building in the world”, the Bullitt Center incorporates net-zero energy, rainwater harvesting, natural ventilation, and non-toxic materials. Using materials that degrade into airborne particles was avoided, reducing contribution to local air pollution. The building sets a precedent for material transparency and lifecycle assessment.
The Edge (Amsterdam)
The Edge in Amsterdam is one of the world’s most sustainable office buildings, using smart technologies, solar energy, and passive design to drastically reduce its environmental footprint. Through low-emission materials, sensor-controlled ventilation, and energy-positive systems, it minimizes both direct and indirect contributions to atmospheric aerosol loading. Its integration of biophilic elements, predictive maintenance, and human-centric design further enhances air quality while promoting long-term resilience and health.
CarbonCure Technology
CarbonCure is a carbon removal innovation that injects captured CO₂ into concrete during mixing, where it reacts with calcium ions to form a mineral (calcium carbonate) permanently embedded in the concrete. This not only strengthens the material but also reduces the amount of cement needed, cutting both CO₂ emissions and particulate matter from cement production, a major source of atmospheric aerosols. CarbonCure works with existing concrete equipment and is already used in commercial construction projects across North America and beyond.
Mycelium-Based Insulation
Mycelium insulation is made from the root-like structures of fungi, grown into molds using agricultural waste as a substrate. It is biodegradable, non-toxic, and requires no high-heat or chemical processing, making it a low-emission alternative to conventional insulation materials like mineral wool or polystyrene. Mycelium naturally resists fire and pests, and it does not release fibers or volatile organic compounds, which can contribute to aerosol formation. This makes it a sustainable solution for improving indoor air quality and reducing the construction industry’s aerosol footprint.
CityTree (Europe)
CityTree is an urban air purification installation developed by the German startup Green City Solutions, combining moss cultures with IoT technology to filter pollutants such as PM2.5, NOx, and ozone from the air. Each unit can purify air as effectively as up to 275 urban trees, while occupying only a fraction of the space. It monitors environmental data in real time and is self-sustaining through solar panels and rainwater collection. CityTree offers a compact, low-maintenance solution for improving air quality in dense urban environments.
Bosco Verticale (Milan)
Bosco Verticale (“Vertical Forest”) consists of two residential towers in Milan designed with over 20,000 plants and trees integrated into their facades. These plants help absorb CO₂, capture particulate matter, and reduce urban heat, actively improving the city’s microclimate and air quality. The design promotes biodiversity and reduces energy use by naturally regulating temperature and humidity. It is a globally recognized model of how architecture can merge with nature to address environmental challenges like air pollution and aerosol loading.
London’s Non-Road Mobile Machinery Regulations
London’s NRMM regulations target construction site emissions by requiring low-emission engines in equipment like diggers, generators, and cranes. Enforced in designated Low Emission Zones, the policy mandates that machinery meets strict EU Stage IIIA–IIIB standards depending on the zone and date. By reducing diesel soot and fine particulate emissions, these rules help improve urban air quality and lower the construction sector’s contribution to atmospheric aerosol loading.
Paris: Wood Construction Mandate in Public Buildings
Since 2020, Paris requires that all new public buildings be constructed with at least 50% timber or other bio-based materials. This regulation aims to reduce the environmental footprint of construction by replacing high-emission materials like concrete and steel with low-carbon, renewable alternatives. Timber construction emits fewer aerosolsduring production and supports cleaner, dust-reducing building practices. The policy also encourages innovation in sustainable architecture.
References
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). (2023). Air pollution and climate change: Two sides of the same coin. UNEP. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/air-pollution-and-climate-change-two-sides-same-coin
World Health Organization (WHO). (2018). Ambient (outdoor) air quality and health. WHO Fact Sheets. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2021). Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Full_Report.pdf
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). (2020). World Cities Report 2020: The Value of Sustainable Urbanization. https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2020/10/wcr_2020_report.pd
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. (2020, March 16). CarbonCure Technologies. Canada.ca. https://www.canada.ca/en/atlantic-canada-opportunities/campaigns/impacts/carboncure.html
CityTree: a Pollution Absorbing Innovation with the Power of 275 Trees – urbanNext. (n.d.). https://urbannext.net/citytree/
Gabel, E. (2024, July 15). Mycelium Insulation: Everything to know about Sustainable, Fungi-Based Panels. Revolutionized. https://revolutionized.com/mycelium-insulation/
Nelson, T. (2020, February 12). France wants all public buildings to be made of at least 50% wood by 2022. Architectural Digest. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/france-wants-all-public-buildings-to-be-made-of-at-least-50-wood-by-2022
Non Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM). (n.d.). City of London. https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/environmental-health/air-quality/non-road-mobile-machinery
Porada, B. (2024, November 18). The “World’s greenest commercial” building opens in Seattle today. ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/363007/the-world-s-greenest-commercial-building-opens-in-seattle-today
Sánchez, D. (2024, July 26). Bosco Verticale / Boeri Studio. ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/777498/bosco-verticale-stefano-boeri-architetti
Subramanian, N. (2025a, June 25). The Edge, Amsterdam: a paradigm of smart and sustainable. PA | Architecture & Technology. https://parametric-architecture.com/the-edge-amsterdam-case-study/?srsltid=AfmBOopKDUYS6Vcc-BiXHwZwBZex7nWydxr5tXwwsJKwifaO9dBIjykK