CityTrees in Differdingen
Last week, the first two of a total of five CityTrees were installed in the Luxembourgish city of Differdingen. Consequently, “the Place des Alliés in Oberkorn has hosted the country’s first CityTree since Thursday”, which “passersby can admire” (Luxemburger Wort). The second CityTree is located “at the CHEM hospital in Niederkorn”.
Photos: GCS & Luxemburger Wort by Claude Piscitelli
“In an effort to further improve the city’s air quality and thus the health of the population, while also moving closer to the goals of the NetZeroCities mission, the municipality of Differdingen is installing moss filtration systems at various locations starting this summer […]”, according to the July/August edition of “Le Magazine de la Ville de Differdange”, the city’s magazine Diffmag.
“Additionally, the installations provide residents with shaded seating”, the magazine continues. This allows the “filter systems to enhance the quality of life in paved areas where planting trees is not possible”.
Photo: Le Quotidien, Alain Rischard
This is particularly true for the Place des Alliés in Oberkorn, “a fully paved area”, where “green spaces are non-existent”. Therefore, the municipality opted for the “unique wooden box”.
The “unique wooden box” has a lot to offer: It is a multifunctional moss filter and cooler, with its core being the moss module. This module can grow up to 4 m² of moss, which, according to the Leaf Area Index, corresponds to an active and cleansing moss surface of 100 m². Thanks to active ventilation and smart Internet-of-Things technology and sensors, the “hot and often polluted city air […] is channeled through the moss, cleaned and cooled, and then expelled”.
Photo: GCS
The city of Differdingen has initially rented five of these fresh air filters with additional benefits for one year, with two already installed at the aforementioned locations. These are “ideally suited for use […] as they are designed for built-up areas that cannot be de-paved, meaning where it is not possible to create new green spaces”. They “take up relatively little space and, unlike ordinary trees, do not have roots in the ground, making them the optimal solution for paved areas”.
Our CEO and co-founder Peter Sänger explains: “A total of five CityTrees will be installed in the Differdingen urban area, achieving an overall air circulation performance of approximately 25,000 m³ per hour. This equates to the breathing volume of about 50,000 adults. Additionally, the biofilters collectively provide a cooling capacity of around 32,500 watts, equivalent to that of approximately 400 newly planted street trees.”
“As a result, the city of Differdingen becomes the first in Luxembourg to create five places where residents and visitors can come together, sit, and linger – all in the best air quality”, he adds.
In the vicinity of the installations, the air is not only up to 4°C cooler but also up to 82 % cleaner and enriched with oxygen. Mossy fresh air zones!
Photos: GCS