Scientists in Hong Kong have demonstrated a new ultra-white ceramic material that can drastically cool buildings by reflecting sunlight and heat at record highs. The beetle-inspired material gets its ability from its nanostructure, stays tough to the elements and should be relatively easy to scale…

Ultra-white ceramic cools buildings with record-high 99.6% reflectivity::undefined

        • maniii@lemmy.worldEnglish
          8·
          1 year ago

          I can guarantee that a Rooftop Terrace garden cuts down almost 40% to 60% heat ever reaching the ceiling. If you have enough cover with smaller plants under larger bushes/shrubs/small trees then there will be a cool breeze around the terrace, provide nesting places for small birds and animals, a pocket of nature in an otherwise concrete heat jungle.

          The problem is who can afford to maintain the Terrace garden is the bigger challenge. Constantly checking soil, composting, watering, maintenance and just time+expense is usually beyond a lot of folks.

          • phx@lemmy.caEnglish
            7·
            1 year ago

            It would be cool to bring back for apartment buildings though

            • Kusimulkku@lemm.eeEnglish
              1·
              1 year ago

              Going back to flat roofs and adding plants and soil to the mix sounds like a recipe for some major water leakage issues.

              Would be cool to have rooftop gardens though

      • 0ddysseus@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        1 year ago

        Trees? Not many. Grasses, herbs, wildflowers, and shrubs? Tons of them. And you can pretty easily retrofit over an existing sloped roof. And the weight is no more than a tiled roof.

          • 0ddysseus@lemmy.worldEnglish
            7·
            1 year ago

            Not if you use a waterproof base layer. This isn’t some theoretical thing, its tried and tested technology in common use

            • Kusimulkku@lemm.eeEnglish
              11·
              1 year ago

              Well of course you’d use waterproof base layer, typically you’d use several even without the plants. It’s tried and tested with multiple cases of failing with age. That’s the issue. Even just flat roofs have been a failure point even without the plants but soil and plants are a definite concern for builders when talking long term.

              • 0ddysseus@lemmy.worldEnglish
                1·
                1 year ago

                Are you a builder? Do you have any experience installing and maintaining green roofs? Your assertion than you’d typically use several waterproofing layers suggests not. I have experience building these systems in the real world and the documentation to support their use. BTW - flat roofs aren’t a thing. Expect in traditional building in desert areas. “Flat” roofs aren’t flat.

                • Kusimulkku@lemm.eeEnglish
                  1·
                  1 year ago

                  I’m a construction engineer, though I think that’s just civil engineer in lot of the world.

                  BTW - flat roofs aren’t a thing. Expect in traditional building in desert areas. “Flat” roofs aren’t flat.

                  I assumed everyone knew what I meant. See some apartment building roofs.

      • ILikeBoobies@lemmy.caEnglish
        31·
        1 year ago

        Kind of

        There are eco apartments (planning idk about practice); grass on the roof and trees growing up the side

        Lakehead University Orillia was going to do this for a new building but I don’t know what happened

    • Pretzilla@lemmy.worldEnglish
      13·
      1 year ago

      You know what cools roofs and generates electricity? Magic!

      Another trick: bifacial panels oriented to pick up the reflected light from highly reflective roofs