Wired
Summary
Air-conditioning can cool a building but it cannot cool a city. As heatwaves become longer and more intense, urban planners are confronting a challenge engineers once barely considered: how do you design an entire city to stay cool?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), cities are warming at roughly twice the global average because of rapid urbanisation, while summer temperatures in parts of the GCC could exceed 55 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
Global consultancy Strategy& notes that the built environment is responsible for approximately 40% of global CO2 emissions. With Gulf countries continuing to build cities at a fast pace, the challenge is no longer simply constructing urban environments, but ensuring they remain comfortable and resilient in a hotter climate.
It isn’t one technology. It’s dozens working together – from street layouts and trees to AI modelling, reflective materials and district cooling – all designed to reduce the amount of heat a city absorbs in the first place.
District cooling plants produce chilled water and pipe it underground to multiple buildings, using up to 50% less electricity than conventional air-conditioning, according to Empower, a sustainable cooling solutions provider.
Continue Reading
#MemberNewsIDEA#Empower#DistrictCooling