New Building Materials Produced to Reduce Rising Temperatures in Cities

New building materials named super cool roofs, pavements and coatings are being produced in a research partnership between UNSW Sydney and the University of Sydney.

These super cool building materials reduce the energy that is needed for cooling within urban environments and are specially designed to combat the nation’s rising temperatures.

Due to the catastrophic effects of climate change, this development is one of many that will be needed over the coming years to reduce temperatures in high population areas and save money on cooling.

By reflecting solar energy rather than absorbing it, this move for eco-efficient materials will help in the inevitable regional climatic change and heat-related morbidity and mortality rates.

These new-generation materials were tested as part of an ARC Discovery Project study to reduce temperatures in Australian cities and find equivalents to materials such as concrete and asphalt.

This study found that super cool materials in conjunction with increased greenery and shade within the urban environments could save 10 in 100,000 lives per year.