URBAN HEAT ISLAND MITIGATION. CLASSIFICATION OF BUILDING MATERIALS USED IN THE URBAN ENVELOPES ACCORDING THEIR CAPACITY FOR COOLING THE CITY

ALCHAPAR NOELIA; CORREA ERICA; CANTÓN M. ALICIA; LESINO GRACIELA

30TH ISES BIENNIAL SOLAR WORLD CONGRESS 2011, SWC

Curran Associates, Inc.

Lugar: Nueva York; Año: 2012; p. 665 - 676

The urban temperature increase known as "heat island" has a direct effect on energy consumption and thermal comfort of residential areas. At worldwide, different mitigation strategies have been proposed and are being studied to determine its effectiveness and efficiency in relation to the costs associated with its implementation. They are based on two principles: increasing green areas and work on thermo-physical properties of materials (ceilings, floors and facades). Particularly for arid cities, where water resources are limited, to promote the use of cool materials is presented as a feasible mitigation strategy. But, for its implementation is necessary generate knowledge about which are regionally available materials for the resolution of the urban envelopes, which are better for lower the urban temperatures; and assess what strategies are cost effective in the context of each city. The overall objective of this paper is to categorize the different materials present in the urban envelope of Mendoza City, according to their ability to contribute to lower temperatures in the city, mitigating the effect of Urban Heat Island (UHI) and its impact on the energy consumption of building and thermal comfort of urban spaces. This categorization has been carried out by calculating the Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) according to ASTM E1980. Particularly, this work classifies different types of pedestrian pavements, coatings for vertical facades and materials for roofs, which are widely used in the city of Mendoza, Argentina. The results show that for the same aesthetic quality and capability, it is possible to improve the thermal behaviour of the envelope material with the proper selection of the shape, colour, composition and finishing material, generating a valid tool for supporting decisions of urban design and sustainable building. In addition, the categorization according to Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) allows comparing the results obtained for materials to local and regional scale with other international. At the same time, the standardization of regional materials intended to lay the foundations for future urban energy certification.