UNStudio and Monopol Colors develop “The Coolest White Paint”
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UNStudio has partnered with Monopol Colors to develop “The Coolest White,” an ultra-durable paint that protects buildings and urban structures from excessive solar radiation – thus slowing down the urban heat island effect. In an official release,UNStudio and Monopol Colors develop “The Coolest White Paint”
UNStudio has partnered with Monopol Colors to develop “The Coolest White,” an ultra-durable paint that protects buildings and urban structures from excessive solar radiation – thus slowing down the urban heat island effect. In an official release, UNStudio announced that by limiting the amount of light and therefore heat a building absorbs, the paint reduces the need for air-conditioning and the impact of urban heat islands. The paint is based on fluoropolymer technology. It has long-lasting and ultra-durable properties that prolong the lifecycle of the coating up to 30 years. The multilayered coating system was developed for high-quality metallic facade elements, and aluminum, steel, or fiberglass structures. While on the one hand, “The Coolest White” will make buildings more resilient, on the other hand, it can drastically reduce the urban heat load. The paint works on the principle that dark materials, which are used to construct many buildings, reflect less and absorb more heat from sunlight than lighter materials. The reflectiveness of a material is measured by its total solar reflection (TSR) value, which is measured on a scale of one to 100. The higher the TSR value, the more a material will reflect the sun’s rays and reduce the amount of heat a building absorbs. UNStudio claims that “The Coolest White” can achieve a TSR value of over 80, which sets entirely new standards. As “The Coolest White” reflects more of the sun’s rays than other paints it can be used to protect buildings from excessive solar radiation, reduce the impact of urban heat islands, and in turn the amount of energy required to cool down buildings internally. UNStudio and Monopol Colours claim that using the paint can cool down an entire city. UNStudio is hoping to use “The Coolest White” to cover an entire district in South East Asia. The Dutch studio’s collaboration with Swiss paint manufacturer Monopol Colors is part of an increasing trend amongst architects and designers to consider the impact of their work on the environment. UNStudio created the product as it recognized that a small change could make a large difference. As stated by its principal architect Ben van Berkel, “We believe that we are responsible as architects for influencing how we build our environment and that we have to collaborate with other industries to develop technologies that will support a global effort to balance the use of energy and create healthier cities and buildings.” https://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more