Cool pavements for climate change adaptation

Abstract

In the framework of road infrastructures, CHM has led a study that investigates construction products in order to combat the heat that is accumulated and released by urban surfaces, such as asphalt, especially in summer, seeking to minimize the "island of urban heat". This project is the result of having developed reflective pavements (cool pavements) than have passed through the first phase at the laboratory level, manufacturing on an industrial scale and their small-scale testing to ensure proper implementation, as well as their implementation by means of a large-scale demonstrator, operating on 24.000 m2 of pavement in the city of Murcia (LIFE HEATLAND). This mixture has a series of benefits with respect to conventional mixtures, leading to an improvement in the urban environment and quality of life of the citizens of the implantation environment and which are mainly: - Saving energy in air conditioning and in the consumption of public lighting. - Saving energy consumption and raw materials. - Improves air quality. - Improves noise pollution. - Improves comfort and health of pedestrians. - Economic and environmental benefits. To date, the demonstrator has been monitored and the following conclusions have been obtained, validating this type of pavement as a mechanism to reduce the urban heat island effect: - Initial luminance of reflective pavement 2.5 cd / m2 under the lamppost, 150% higher than in the conventional asphalt street. - Solar reflectance is almost four times higher than conventional asphalt. - Average surface temperature for reflective pavement of 7-11 ºC lower than conventional. - Asphalted areas where tire rubber has been deposited as a result of the rolling of vehicles are heated 1-3 ºC more than clean areas. - Environmental noise level of the area: 3 dB (A) lower.