A blue road near Souq Waqif has been intriguing visitors for some time. Now, Ashghal has come out with an explanation for the colourful pavement on parts of Abdullah bin Jassim Street by Souq Waqif – it is a ‘pilot project for cool pavement’.
The nice-looking 200-metre blue surface is part of an experimental project to reduce the temperature of the asphalt surface. Sensors to measure temperatures of the blue surface and uncoated asphalt are installed for a period of 18 months.
The readings from the sensors will be evaluated to determine the success of the experiment, done in coordination with a Japanese company, and wider use of blue coating will depend on the results of this study.
The 1mm blue coating has special heat-reflecting pigment and hollow ceramic microspheres, which effectively reflects infrared radiation.
Experts suggest that this experiment could significantly reduce the temperature as the blue surface reflects the heat from the sun instead of absorbing it like the black asphalt surface. The heat-absorbing asphalt makes the surface and surroundings much hotter causing the ‘urban heat island’ effect, which could add significantly to the average air temperature.
As climate change is making many cities hotter, they are coming up with innovative methods to keep cities cooler. This summer, Los Angeles had covered its streets in a greyish-white coating known as CoolSeal and it is found that the white surface temperature is 23-degree Fahrenheit cooler than the black surface.
