Combating UHI effect
UHI or Urban Heat Island effect will have growing significance in the design of our cities as populations rise and temperatures increase.
To reduce UHI we need planted roofs and balconies to help provide a thermal buffer during hot weather but to also act as natural air conditioning units for the external environment. Plants help filter the air and absorb heat energy through the process of evapo-transpiration which itself creates a cooling effect. Orientation of uses need to also be considered. Offices generate excess heat and generally need air conditioning which is very energy intensive and costly. Our mixed use Creekside Arcade project situated the office accommodation to the North storing excess heat in a flood control labyrinth for use at night in the South facing residential units.
Good design is generally just common sense which raises the question why are we still building sealed, air-conditioned vertical glass skyscrapers which are going to cost huge amounts of money and carbon to run in the future?
Thermal heat pump strategy using thermal mass of flood tank labyrinth
