UNSW Sydney developed innovative supercooling building materials
A team from UNSW Sydney has developed new intelligent supercooling building materials that can help keep the temperature in check throughout the seasons. The innovative design adjusts the optical properties used in conventional heat mitigation materials (coatings for buildings) to change the amount of heat it reflects and emits depending on the temperature in the air.
The new materials were designed by Scientia Professor Mat Santamouris, Anita Lawrence Chair in High Performance Architecture at the School of Built Environment, UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture. He says the new materials could be used worldwide in buildings to help better protect them from the elements.
“This is a smart, intelligent building material that understands the urban temperature, and it is modulated according to the weather conditions… so it is ideal for cities that have issues with overheating in summer, but also have heating requirements during winter,” Prof. Santamouris says.
Prof. Santamouris specialises in developing heat mitigation technologies and strategies that decrease urban temperatures in cities worldwide. Extreme urban heat is the most documented climate change phenomenon affecting more than 450 cities worldwide. Higher urban temperatures significantly increase energy consumption needs and adverse impacts on health, including heat-related morbidity and mortality.