In a bold move to tackle urban air pollution and support global sustainability efforts, Skratch® helped deliver a pioneering clean air initiative at Marylebone Station, London — one of the city’s most iconic and historically protected transport hubs.
Coinciding with the first WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, the project transformed traditional Out Of Home (OOH) advertising units into Clean Air Zones, helping to tackle urban air pollution.
The project faced a unique challenge: delivering clean air technology within the constraints of Marylebone Station’s Grade II listed status. The solution had to:
Respect the architectural heritage of the late 19th-century building
Integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure
Deliver measurable environmental benefits without disrupting station operations
Skratch® led the technical delivery and maintenance of the clean air pods, working in collaboration with:
BNP Paribas – Project sponsor
Airlabs – Clean air technology provider
JCDecaux – Owner of the advertising units
Chiltern Railways – Station operator
Key elements of Skratch®’s approach included:
Designing and installing modified advertising pods that retained the original appearance to comply with heritage regulations
Integrating Airlabs’ filtration technology to clean polluted air drawn from the station concourse
Managing installation logistics to ensure minimal disruption to passengers and station operations
The pods were engineered to draw in dirty air from the top, filter it, and release clean air from the bottom, creating healthier micro-environments within the station.
Skratch® provided ongoing maintenance for a 12-month period, ensuring the filtration systems remained effective. This included:
Scheduled filter replacements
Performance monitoring
Technical support and servicing
By repurposing traditional advertising units into high-performance air filtration systems, this project redefines what Out Of Home (OOH) infrastructure can achieve — turning passive displays into active contributors to public health and sustainability.
It’s a bold example of how Skratch® delivers smart, sustainable solutions in complex urban environments — blending technology, heritage sensitivity, and environmental impact to support global goals for cleaner, healthier cities.
