Am I tripping, or is there a jungle room in the Canada Life building on the main floor overlooking Queen? —Darlene Lorenowitz, Richmond Hill

It is indeed a jungle in there: the room’s lava rock walls are covered with exotic mosses, ferns and a host of flowering and leafy tropical plants. In addition to serving as a unique conference centre, the so-called Environmental Room has a wall that doubles as an all-natural air purifier. Developed in 1994 by University of Guelph scientists, the system uses microorganisms and the water on the carefully selected plants to purge chemical nasties from the room’s air—especially formaldehyde, which can seep from particleboard and even innocent-seeming paper. So no, you aren’t hallucinating, but perhaps the air in your office could use some freshening.

• Categories: Environment