Green term defined: solar reflectance index

harrisonburgWhen looking at cities on Google earth, we see a lot of dark surfaces. Most roofing is a dark color. Pavement is typically a dark color. It appears that even the majority of our cars are dark. This all contributes to something called “heat island impact.” To combat this a designer can use light colored materials for pavement, roofing, and reduce paved areas on a site.

20140619_141237

The solar reflectance index (SRI) is a measure of the constructed surface’s ability to stay cool in the sun by reflecting solar radiation and emitting thermal radiation. A standard black surface has a SRI of 0 and a standard white surface has a SRI of 100. In order to calculate the SRI of a material you use the solar reflectance and thermal emittance from the cool roof rating council standard. 263878_10150252705649932_76986384931_7060298_6065340_nYou can offset “heat island impact” by using white roofing, white concrete for paving, and vegetative roofs.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Related Posts

Now hiring: Office Manager / Bookkeeper

Now hiring: Office Manager / Bookkeeper

Now hiring: Office Manager / Bookkeeper Gaines Group Architects is growing again. We believe strongly in being in ...
Albemarle County Custom Homes and Renovations

Albemarle County Custom Homes and Renovations

Albemarle County Custom Homes and Renovations Our firm was founded in Charlotteville, Virginia over 36 years ago. ...
Historic Renovations

Historic Renovations

Historic Renovations We love saving historic structures and implementing building science knowledge so that they ...
Planning a kitchen renovation

Planning a kitchen renovation

Whatever your kitchen is to you, you deserve to have it be a special place that fits your needs both functionally ...

Discover more from The Gaines Group Architects

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading