SOOMTIM: Sustainable Window Solution

What it does

‘SOOMTIM’ filters fine particles using natural pressure difference and electrostatic force, ensuring fresh indoor air year-round. With no electricity use, it emits zero carbon—reducing CO₂ and VOCs while improving occupant well-being and environmental quality.

Your inspiration

Fine dust pollution is a rising global concern, with studies linking it to neurological, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases. As a result, we keep windows closed and rely on air purifiers running 24/7 to maintain indoor air quality. I’ve longed to open the window and breathe fresh air. But the persistent pollutants make safe ventilation difficult. To address this, I envisioned a passive purification and ventilation system—filtering fine dust through natural airflow, without electricity. If we could open windows while preserving indoor air quality, it would offer a sustainable way to restore comfort and reconnect with the outdoors.

How it works

Using the Venturi effect, slow outdoor air enters a narrow window throat, speeds up as static pressure drops, then expands indoors and slows into a breeze. An electron emitter mounted outside sends free electrons into this stream, giving dust a negative charge that makes it drift toward positive electrodes downstream. Filtration is triple-stage: (1) a nylon mesh stops coarse dust and pollen; (2) a PET non-woven layer laminated with aluminum mesh, biased positive, captures the charged fine particles; (3) an activated-carbon bed adsorbs VOCs and odors. The airway wall is coated with conductive PET film so the electric field penetrates the duct and keeps particles migrating toward the electrode while they travel. All electronics draw power from an external photovoltaic panel, with excess stored in a battery for night or rain. Thus mechanical guidance, electrostatic precipitation, and chemical adsorption combine to provide fresh, odor-free air without grid energy.

Design process

When spring arrives, I long to throw open the windows and enjoy the clear sky, yet pollen and fine dust force me to rely on an air purifier instead. Confronted with a world where technology increasingly separates us from nature, I began seeking a ventilation solution that lets people and the environment coexist. As a researcher in urban environment and energy, I understand better than anyone both the need for natural ventilation and the “plug load” problem caused by appliances running around the clock. From this awareness, I defined three design principles: 1) Preserve the view -Rather than mounting a filter directly on the window, the device guides airflow to trap particulate matter without blocking the scenery. 2) Consume no grid electricity -Exposed to outdoors, the unit operates on a small solar panel in a fully passive design, using only a minimal electrostatic charge to capture fine dust. 3) Prevent infiltration -Because a fixed external air path can invite condensation, mold, and heat loss, the opening is user-controlled, allowing occupants to regulate indoor–outdoor flow as needed. By combining these three principles, the proposed ventilation system delivers fresh, dust-free air with zero energy cost, while safeguarding both the indoor view and overall energy efficiency.

How it is different

Conventional aids for natural ventilation carry serious trade-offs. Dense fine-dust screens fastened to glazing stop particles yet dim daylight and erase the view, reducing comfort. Window-type air conditioners and air-intake purifiers draw in fresh air but consume constant power and block the window from further use. The permanent intake holes they create invite uncontrolled infiltration, undermine insulation, and push up seasonal heating-cooling loads—raising utility bills. Straight, unbaffled airflow inside these devices also weakens heat-exchange efficiency and lowers the overall coefficient of performance. This product overturns those deficits. It guides and cleans fresh air without veiling scenery, operates on passive, solar-assisted physics that need no mains power, seals completely when idle to block drafts, and preserves the building’s thermal envelope—delivering a truly original, low-energy path to continuous, healthy ventilation.

Future plans

We’re developing a full-scale prototype to test airflow, dust removal, VOC adsorption, and airtightness. With sensor integration, it could evolve into a smart window that breathes on its own, adjusting to the environment without user input. This passive, power-free system aligns with zero-energy building goals, improving energy performance and indoor comfort. It can also be applied in underserved regions, supporting clean air as a universal right. One day, creating a city where windows never need to close could spark a quiet yet powerful shift—where technology restores harmony between daily life and the environment.

Awards