An experiment carried out in a real urban space in Singapore concluded that cold paiting coating reduces the heat in the city by up to 1,5ºC.
A new study has revealed that cool paint coatings can help cities combat the urban heat island effect, making them up to 1,5ºC cooler.
The conclusion comes after a team of researchers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) coated roofs, walls and road surfaces in an industrial zone in Singapore with paint containing additives that reflect the sun’s heat.
The study published in the Sustainable Cities and Society journal last March, showed that paint can be a fundamental tool for making urban areas more comfortable, both in terms of work and leisure, since it reduces the absorption of heat by building materials and the subsequent release of heat into the urban environment.
Although the idea is not new, this is the first study to assess the impact of using cold paint on a real scale and scenario. To date, most studies on cold paint coatings have been based on simulations or have been tested on reduced models.
The researchers defined two areas of Singapore for the analysis, where they selected four rectangular buildings that created two parallel blocks with narrow streets lined with buildings. Half of the roofs, walls and street sidewalks in this industrial area were coated with cold paint, leaving the adjacent area uncoated.
The scientists measured air movement, surface and air temperature, humidity and radiation for two months. The results showed a reduction of up to 30% in the heat released by the built surfaces in the area coated with paint, corresponding to a cooling of 2ºC at the hottest time of the day, compared to the unpainted area.
The roofs with the cold paint coating reflected 50% more sunlight and absorbed up to 40% less heat during the hottest part of a sunny day, compared to conventional roofs.
The pedestrian area also cooled by around 1,5ºC, which made the street environment more comfortable. The level of thermal comfort was measured using the Universal Thermal Climate Index, an indicator of human outdoor temperature sensation based on temperature, relative humidity, thermal radiation and wind speed.
“Our study provides evidence that cold paint coatings reduce heat accumulation and contribute to cooling the urban environment. This is a minimally intrusive solution for urban cooling that has an immediate effect, compared to other options that often require a major urban makeover to implement. In addition, by reducing the amount of heat absorbed in urban structures, we also reduce the thermal load on buildings, consequently reducing the energy consumption of indoor air conditioning,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Kiran Kumar Donthu, in a statement.
The researchers believe that these findings will be useful for cities looking for a quick and cheap way to combat the negative effects of heatwaves.
“The study’s findings are not only relevant to Singapore’s cities, where it’s hot all year round, but also to other urban areas around the world. With global warming, people will increasingly look for ways to keep cool. Our study validates how cool paint coatings can be a strategy to reduce the urban heat island effect in the future,” said Wan Man Pun, the study’s researcher and an associate professor at NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), in a statement.
The team of scientists will continue their research, focusing now on how and for how long the exterior paint coating remains in place.
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