Air Ionization: When Negative Can Be Positive in Built Spaces

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2011, designed by Peter Zumthor. Photo by Walter HerfstIn 1902, physicist Philipp Lenard discovered that the breaking of water droplets in waves, waterfalls, rain, or mist releases negative ions into the air. This occurs because, upon breaking, the droplets separate their electrical charges: electrons, which are smaller and lighter, adhere to suspended particles in the air, while positive charges remain in the water or dissipate quickly. This phenomenon increases the