Bouygues adopts smog-eating paint

Bouygues Construction has signed a deal to adopt a new type of paint that its maker claims can purify the air by neutralising pollutants and microbes.

Airlite, which comes in 180 colours, can eliminate 99.9% of bacteria and mould on the surfaces to which it is applied both inside and outside, according to its makers.

Bouygues Construction said it identified the benefits of Airlite in 2019 through its Matching Up innovation programme, which invites start-ups and SMEs to put forward products that could add value to Bouygues’ offering.

The contractor trialled Airlite, made by AM Technology, on an existing project where air quality was a key concern. Over 86,000 readings were taken over a period of one month and the results showed that Airlite reduced toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2), VOCs (volatile organic compounds), CO2 footprint and eliminated 99.9% of bacteria on surfaces, while producing no toxic or flammable waste as associated with regular paints.

The chair of Bouygues Construction United Kingdom, Fabienne Viala, and the CEO of Airlite, Antonio Cianci, undertook a virtual signing of a three-year contract on 12 June.

Viala said: “Airlite is a ground-breaking product which offers real innovation to significantly improve sustainable environmental performance and air quality, key priorities for the group and for the industries we operate in. It brings considerable value to what we can offer clients across our project portfolio in the education, residential and healthcare sectors.

“Our partnership with AM Technology is a great success story for our Matching Up programme, offering a brilliant example of how collaborative partnerships between industry and innovators can positively impact the built environment.”

CEO of Airlite Antonio Cianci said: “Airlite was created as a simple solution to improving air quality and the health and wellbeing of us all, while also caring for our planet. Our partnership with Bouygues Construction demonstrates our commitment to these topics, as well as how relevant they are across the full design-build-operate-maintain cycle, for contractors, owners and tenants.

“We look forward to working with Bouygues Construction across the education, residential and healthcare sectors to make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of us all.”