Cooling the urban heat island effect

CHALLENGE: Urban settlements more readily absorb and accumulate heat, creating an umbrella of heat above cities. Large-scale cool roof projects were expected to cool interiors and ambient air temperatures alike; however, while indoor temperatures indeed came down by up to 10°C, there was very little impact on ambient temperature due to the network of blacktop asphalt roads that crisscross our urban landscape.

REMEDIATION: SANEDI will pilot a cool roads and pavements project to counteract the warming impact of the tar and concrete hardscape. This will assist in benchmarking a global standard for cool paving.