Giant â€˜bubblesâ€™ to help beat smog in China?

BEIJING: A London-based architecture and design company co-founded by an Indian has come up with a new solution called "Bubbles" to combat the increasing air pollution in China.

Their project which is still in the conceptual stage, would be able to create outdoor green spaces which would be covered by giant bubble-shaped domes in the Chinese cities where adverse environmental conditions mean that people are unable to spend time outdoors without risking their health.

The architectural concept "bubble" will be in the form of a covered botanical garden, retail and office complex under a giant transparent roof.

"Bubbles structure encloses a botanical garden offered a giant balloon with filtered air with controlled temperature and humidity throughout the year," Rajat Sodhi, co-founder of the Orproject, an architecture practice with offices in London, Beijing and New Delhi told the South China Morning Post.

Bubbles is based on the principles of biomimetic architecture, typically lightweight environmental structures inspired by nature.

The geometry of the Bubbles canopy was generated using an algorithm that simulates the development of veins in leaves or in butterfly wings, he said.

"It's just an infrastructure project like building metro stations and parks — it's applicable in every dense, polluted metropolis where there's a need for open, green spaces throughout the year," he said.