Cities are not ready for the climate challenge. In addition, the aging building stock, with a large percentage of exposed brick facades, favors the accumulation of heat inside the houses. But not all is lost. Heat waves can be combated from the urban environment. “The main objective is, on the one hand, to block solar radiation to avoid thermal gains and, on the other, to maximize air movement. This can be achieved through the inclusion of shade and tree elements that, in addition, have the additional effect of evaporative cooling that they provide”, explains Susana Saiz, director of Climate Change and Sustainability at Arup in Spain.
This expert is committed to porous pavements in light colors and vegetated areas, as well as water elements and rain gardens — sunken areas with perennial flowers and native vegetation that absorb rainwater — which can provide places of relief in the face of heat waves. “Only green roofs on buildings and landscaped urban areas considerably reduce surface temperatures, which can go from over 50°C to under 30°C”, explains Mauro Manca, Energreen Design’s general manager. But it is also important to reduce the demand for air conditioning in buildings, “since these expel hot air directly into the city, becoming true heaters,” he says.
Urban planning plays a fundamental role. According to Bruno Sauer, General Director of the Green Building Council (GBCe), “the city must be planned by changing it and preparing it for its adaptation to climate change. This implies turning the streets into pedestrian boulevards. The Administration must lead this process and dare”. Juan López-Asiain, director of the Technical Office of the General Council of Technical Architecture of Spain (CGATE), shares the same opinion: “It is necessary to adequately anticipate the orientations of buildings and green spaces, we cannot continue to see large avenues of cement and tar without a tree to shelter under, or buildings poorly oriented due to urban requirements”.
There is nothing to invent. Saiz points out that these are ancient concepts that have been forgotten in recent decades, “prioritizing urban designs focused on the use of the vehicle as a means of transport and that have given rise to the creation of harsh environments, radiation sinks and generators of the island effect.” of heat. Uninhabitable spaces, especially in summer”.
And it is that the incidence of the heat island effect —it raises temperatures in cities, especially at night, due to elements that emit heat, for example, air conditioning systems— affects people’s health. According to a report from the Carlos III Health Institute, the high temperatures registered in Spain last year were responsible for 5,876 deaths – more than 17% of unforeseen deaths. “As a consequence of this phenomenon, people spend less time outdoors, which means that older people have many more respiratory problems, overheating of the body, more overweight… In fact, the mortality of older people due to heat begins to be a problem,” Sauer explains.
fire in the houses
In buildings, a correct orientation of the openings, with solar control, light colors or vegetated elements on façades and roofs, and good insulation are the main allies for internal thermal control. “Exterior protection elements, such as awnings and blinds, are effective solar control mechanisms, together with the provision of windows that allow cross ventilation to favor night cooling”, thinks the director of Climate Change and Sustainability at Arup. “Both in new construction and in rehabilitation, we should promote the thermal envelope on the outside; such as the ventilated façade and the SATE (exterior thermal insulation system)”, shares Erika Ibarguen, head of the Sika Specification Department.
The renovation of the roofs contributes to reducing the temperature inside the buildings and their energy dependence, and, in addition, “allows for the incorporation of solutions such as highly reflective cool roofs, with which the heat island effect is avoided”, highlights Blanca Gutiérrez, director of Aifim, Iberian association of waterproofing manufacturers.
There are success stories in Europe, initiatives that have been able to reduce the temperature of cities and homes. The Freiburg-Vauban neighborhood in Freiburg, Germany, is known for being one of the first examples of urban development with high standards of sustainability. It incorporates solar energy, buildings with almost zero energy consumption, green spaces and planning that promotes sustainable mobility. “In Spain we find the example of the superblocks in Barcelona, which reduce traffic, increase urban greenery and generate a great boost to local street business”, comments the director of Energreen Design.
But we can also find good examples in traditional Mediterranean architecture, the white villages, with adapted openings, with spaces that allow night cooling, shady areas and architecture designed taking into account orientation, the prevailing wind and its use. “In areas especially affected by heat waves in recent years, such as parts of India, community programs are being implemented that focus on painting the roofs of houses white to reduce temperatures in the streets and houses,” he highlights. Susana Sáiz. One of them is the Cooling Action Plan, which is implemented as a quick measure with an immediate impact to reduce the temperature in homes between two and five degrees.
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