Painting roofs white or covering them with a reflective coating would be more effective at cooling cities like London than vegetation-covered "green roofs," street-level vegetation or solar panels, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.
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"Painting roofs white or covering them with a reflective coating would be more effective at cooling cities like London than vegetation-covered "green roofs," street-level vegetation or solar panels, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. Conversely, extensive use of air conditioning would warm the outside environment by as much as 1 degree C in London's dense city center, the researchers found." #urbanclimate #coolroofs #greenroofs #climatechange
Cool roofs outperform green roofs in urban climate modeling study
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Cool paint coatings in cities can make a big difference! Researchers found the paint can lower urban temperatures by up to 1.5°C, helping combat the Urban Heat Island effect. By reflecting sunlight and reducing heat absorption, these paint coatings cool down streets and buildings, making outdoor spaces more comfortable. In a real-world study, they saw significant temperature drops, proving the effectiveness of cool paints. By reducing the amount of heat absorbed in urban structures, the paint also reduces the heat load in buildings, consequently reducing indoor air-conditioning energy consumption. Painted cities may be the way for a cooler, greener and more comfortable future! Read more https://lnkd.in/ee2VmqY2 #CoolPaint #UrbanHeatIsland #Sustainability #RandD #RandDProjects #RandDtaxRelief #TaxConsultant #Consultancy
Cool paint experiment modifies urban microclimate - The Engineer
theengineer.co.uk
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White Roofs, Keep It Cool: A Promising Solution To Urban Heat Challenges White or reflective paint is more effective at cooling cities than solar panels or greenery on roofs, scientists say, offering potential relief during extremely hot summer days. Two separate studies examined the impact of ‘cool roofing’ and discovered that white or reflective coatings could lower outdoor city temperatures by up to 2 degrees Celsius.
White Roofs, Keep It Cool: A Promising Solution To Urban Heat Challenges
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“As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, the Earth's climate system undergoes significant changes, leading to extreme weather events, rising sea levels and ecological disruptions. These environmental shifts not only endanger ecosystems and communities but also have profound economic implications. “To effectively address this challenge, architects, landscape architects, environmentalists, scientists, urban planners and disaster and crisis management experts must unite in a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary effort and leave a positive thumbprint for the benefit of both current and future generations.” Opinion by Yazan K. Mahadin #Jordan #JordanTimes #Amman #News
Reshaping our future: The fight against climate change
jordantimes.com
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Principal Research Scientist (Emeritus Status)-Georgia Tech; Expert in Textiles, Polymers & Soft Materials; Statistician; Looking for Consulting/Problem-Solving Roles in my Areas. Still Active at GT.
Are Painted Roofs One of the Most Affordable Solutions to Keep Your Home Cool? Date: July 4, 2024 Source: University College London (UCL) A new study conducted by UCL researchers shows that painting roofs white or covering them with a reflective coating would be more effective at cooling residential buildings and entire big cities such as London. The study shows painting can give better results compared to green roofs, street-level vegetation or solar panels. It also revealed that the one degree increase in temperature of the outside environment caused by the extensive use of air-conditioning can also be completely prevented. The research, published in Geophysical Research Letters, used a three-dimensional urban climate model of Greater London to test the thermal effects of different passive and active urban heat management systems, including painted "cool roofs," rooftop solar panels, green roofs, ground level tree vegetation and air conditioning during the two hottest days of the summer of 2018. It found that if adopted widely throughout London, cool roofs could reduce outdoor temperatures across the city on average by about 1.2 degrees C, and up to 2 degrees C in some locations. Other systems, such as extensive street-level vegetation or solar panels would provide a smaller net cooling effect of about 0.3 degrees C across London, though they offer other environmental benefits. Similarly, while green roofs offer benefits like water drainage and wildlife habitats, their net cooling effect on the city was found to be negligible.
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New Commentary! Stone: An Ecological Construction Material Could #stone help to lower the #ecological footprint of buildings? Timothée de TOLDI makes a case for the increased use of stone as a building material. In the transition to a #low-#carbon economy, stone has attractive qualities in terms of durability, low embodied energy, a robust life cycle assessment, and can assist with #passive cooling thereby lessening the need for operational energy. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gZ3_Mm83
Stone: An Ecological Construction Material
buildingsandcities.org
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Environmental Scientist - Public education advocate whose posts support science-based sustainable healthy/biodiverse ecosystems, climate action, adaptation/resilience and cleantech
July 2, 2024 - By University of London, "Painting roofs white or covering them with a reflective coating would be more effective at cooling cities like London than vegetation-covered “#greenroofs,” street-level vegetation or solar panels, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. Conversely, extensive use of #airconditioning would warm the outside environment by as much as 1 degree C in London’s dense city centre, the researchers found. The research, published (https://lnkd.in/eEEcFq_h) in Geophysical Research Letters, used a three-dimensional urban climate model of Greater London to test the thermal effects of different passive and active #urbanheatmanagement systems, including painted “#coolroofs,” #rooftopsolar panels, green roofs, ground level #treevegetation and air conditioning during the two hottest days of the summer of 2018, the warmest on record. It found that if adopted widely throughout London, cool roofs could reduce outdoor temperatures across the city on average about 1.2 degrees C, and up to 2 degrees C in some locations. Other systems, such as extensive street-level vegetation or solar panels would provide a smaller net cooling effect, only about 0.3 degrees C on average across London, though they offer other environmental benefits. Similarly, while green roofs offer benefits like water drainage and wildlife habitats, their net cooling effect on the city was found to be negligible on average. Air conditioning, which transfers heat from within buildings to the outside, would warm the outdoor #urbanenvironment by about 0.15 degrees C for the city overall, but by as much as 1C in dense central London. The researchers also found that the increase in the distribution of air con units in their model could be entirely powered by photovoltaic solar panels if they were similarly installed to their fullest extent. To gauge the potential full effect of each method, the team modelled each one as though they had been as widely adopted as theoretically feasible across #housing, #commercial and #industrialbuildings throughout Greater London. Lead author Dr Oscar Brousse (UCL Bartlett School Environment, Energy & Resources) said: “We comprehensively tested multiple methods that #cities like London could use to adapt to and mitigate warming temperatures and found that cool roofs were the best way to keep temperatures down during extremely hot summer days. Other methods had various important side benefits, but none were able to reduce outdoor #urbanheat to nearly the same level.” As the #climatechanges, residents within cities are particularly vulnerable to warming temperatures. Cities generally trap heat, inducing the Urban Heat Island effect that can lead to greater discomfort and mortality for residents during hot spells. Finding ways to adapt or mitigate these warming temperatures has become a high priority for city planners..." #climateaction #climatepolicy #climatestrategy #cityplanning #heatmanagement Continue reading
Cool roofs are best at beating cities’ heat
ucl.ac.uk
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A fascinating read exploring the untapped potential of Landscape Architects 🌿📐 in decarbonizing the built environment. Learn how landscapes can sequester carbon and boost climate resilience. Read full article 👇 https://lnkd.in/d-yhtPpE #netzero #buildenviroment #LandscapeArchitects #Decarbonization 🌎🌿
Landscape Architects Are Key to Increasing Carbon Drawdown
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The conclusion reached by researchers is that a chain of skyscrapers generates 140% more total emissions during their service life compared with an area with lower buildings with the same numbrer of inhabitants. https://lnkd.in/dEyD3xHy #:~:text=The%20conclusion%20reached%20by%20researchers,the%20same%20numbrer%20of%20inhabitants.
Are skyscrapers an example of sustainable urban planning?
tomorrow.city
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In a recent study covered in the World Economic Forum, researchers from around the world, Eamonn Wooster, Fraser Torpy, Jack Rojahn, and Dr. Robert Fleck explore BioSolar in urban settings. BioSolar as defined within this article is not a new concept, the term “biosolar” itself may be new, but studies regarding plant life’s effectiveness on solar panels have been ongoing for years now. But up until now, BioSolar studies have been primarily been geared towards ground mounted solar on farmland, and solar over water or “floatovolataics”. However, this foray into urban rooftops is quite fascinating. BioSolar is essence, is combining green rooves with solar panels. In addition to the biodiversity and insulating properties of green rooves, they also act as a cooling agent for solar panels to increase their efficiency. When solar panels reach a certain temperature, like most mechanical systems they become less efficient. Urban BioSolar within this study wielded some pretty interesting results. The study found that BioSolar rooves, supported much more biodiversity as well as reduced average maximum rooftop temperatures by about 8℃ (46.4 F). The green roof increased solar generation by as much as 107% during peak periods and while some plant species outperformed others, generally the vegetation flourished. An interesting addition to this research would be to see how translucent panels and how studies that have researched vegetation growth through red light vs blue light filtering solar panels perform in urban settings as this could make rooftops even more efficient spaces for urban farming. Every single study into more sustainable architecture, landscape design, energy use and production, urban farming, renewability and recycling are so incredibly crucial to building a cleaner future. This study is a phenomenal basis for urban regions across the globe to adopt policies encouraging sustainable innovation. #urbandesign #urbandevelopment #biosolar #rooftopsolar #rooftopgarden #solar #solarenergy #solarpower #solarpv #solarpanelsystem #urbanfarming #gardendesign #sustainablearchitecture #sustainability #sustainabledesign #sustainableenergy #sustainableconstruction #cleanenergy #cleanenergyfuture #biodiversity
Biosolar roofs can help boost the power output and biodiversity in our cities. Here's how
weforum.org
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