Catalyst

Commissioned by Dundee City Council as a Percent for Art project for the adjacent car park, with a grant from the Scottish Arts Council. Cast in a special catalytic cement – a new type of concrete material which contains a catalytic material (nano-crystalline grade of titanium dioxide), that reacts with light to trigger
 the molecules of air borne pollutants, such as nitric oxides, carbon monoxide and sulphur monoxide 
to break apart. Daylight initiates this reaction on the active surface of the concrete, converting harmful nitrogen
 oxides into harmless nitrates, these are held on the concrete surface 
until the next rainfall, when it drains off into the soil and can be absorbed by plants. This was the first time 
this material had been used in the UK. TX Aria concrete came from Italcementi Group.