COOL PAVEMENTS

WHAT IS A COOL PAVEMENT?

The term cool pavement denotes materials and construction techniques selected to
reduce the absorption, retention and emitting of solar heat. Cool pavements are defined as
paving materials that tend to reflect, provide cooler surfaces and increase water evaporation
ratio. Cool pavements are usually created on existing paving surfaces by applying a coating or
by using grass paving methods. Though the EPA has developed some guidelines and
recommendations, no official standard has been created to regulate cool pavements. Normally
black pavement surfaces, like bitumen asphalt, absorb and hold heat, increasing temperatures
near the surface by more than 50 percent. MIT research has been able to develop what is called
'Emerald Cool Pavement', a surface coating that can reduce surface heat by 50 degrees F.
The use of cool pavements can be maximized with construction material and techniques
to enhance its benefits and performance. On a hot August afternoon, would you rather walk
barefoot on black asphalt or light-colored pavers? Instinctively, we know that dark colors are
hotter, because they absorb more solar heat. Reflected heat from dark surfaces contributes to
the heat island effect which in turn drives up energy use and costs for air conditioning.
So, when selecting paving materials for areas around a home or other building, choose a
light color and a relatively porous material. Not only will the pavement itself stay cooler, it will
help keep air temperatures more comfortable in the surrounding area and citywide. Pavement
makes up 3045% of land cover in Austin. It can reach peak summertime temperatures of 120
150F. The more cool pavements we can use, the better for Austin.
Cool pavements include a range of established and emerging technologies that
communities are exploring as part of their heat island reduction efforts. The term currently
refers to paving materials that reflect more solar energy, enhance water evaporation, or have
been otherwise modified to remain cooler than conventional pavements.

Conventional paving materials can reach peak summertime temperatures of 120150F

(4867C), transferring excess heat to the air above them and heating stormwater as it runs off
the pavement into local waterways. Due to the large area covered by pavements in urban areas
(nearly 3045% of land cover based on an analysis of four geographically diverse cities1), they
are an important element to consider in heat island mitigation.
Cool pavements can be created with existing paving technologies (such as asphalt and
concrete) as well as newer approaches such as the use of coatings or grass paving. Cool
pavement technologies are not as advanced as other heat island mitigation strategies, and there
is no official standard or labeling program to designate cool paving materials.

A COOL AND REFRESHING PAVEMENT:

Cool pavement is increasing its presence in the construction industry. With the
movement to reduce heat island emissions, the incorporation of cool pavement is a great
advance in this gigantic task. Cool pavement reduces and reflects heat to outer surfaces
producing better environmental conditions and a cooler surface. Cool pavement is specially
recommended in school areas, where pavements need to be cooler and more reflective.
Thermal infrared (left) & visible (right) images of a road with light and dark segments.
The infrared image shows that the light segment (bottom) is about 17C (30F) cooler than the
dark segment (top). Like conventional dark roofs, dark pavements get hot in the sun because
they absorb 80-95% of sunlight. Hot pavements aggravate urban heat islands by warming the
local air, and contribute to global warming by radiating heat into the atmosphere - pavements
can aggravate urban heat islands because they comprise about one third of urban surfaces.4 Hot
pavements can also raise the temperature of storm water runoff.5
Solar reflective "cool" pavements stay cooler in the sun than traditional pavements.
Pavement reflectance can be enhanced by using reflective aggregate, a reflective or clear
binder, or a reflective surface coating. Reflective pavements can reduce the need for street
lighting at night.

COOL PAVEMENT CAN BE OPTIMIZED WITH

THE USE OF:

Roller Compacted Concrete

Concrete surfaces applied over asphalt
Integration of asphalt, concrete and pavers with color modifications
Combination of porous and open grade pavements
Use of traditional materials like brick, stone, pavers, decomposed granite and other
materials

BENEFITS:
In addition to reducing heat islands, the benefits of cool pavements include:

REDUCED STORMWATER RUNOFF AND IMPROVED WATER

QUALITY:
Permeable pavements can allow stormwater to soak into the pavement and soil,
reducing runoff and filtering pollutants. Both permeable and non-permeable cool pavements
can also help lower the temperature of runoff, resulting in less thermal shock to aquatic life in
the waterways into which stormwater drains.

LOWER TIRE NOISE:

The open pores of permeable pavements can reduce tire noise by two to eight decibels
and keep noise levels below 75 decibels, although noise reduction may decline over time.2

ENHANCED SAFETY:
Permeable roadway pavements can improve safety by reducing water spray from
moving vehicles and increasing traction through better water drainage.

BETTER NIGHTTIME VISIBILITY:

Reflective pavements can enhance visibility at night, potentially reducing lighting

requirements and saving both money and energy.

ENERGY SAVINGS AND EMISSION REDUCTIONS:

Cool pavements lower the outside air temperature, allowing air conditioners to cool
buildings with less energy. Cool pavements also save energy by reducing the need for electric
street lighting at night.

IMPROVED COMFORT AND HEALTH:

Cool pavements cool the city air, reducing heat-related illnesses, slowing the formation
of smog, and making it more comfortable to be outside. Pedestrians also benefit from cooler air
and cooler pavements.

INCREASED DRIVER SAFETY:

Light-colored pavements better reflect street lights and vehicle headlights at night,
increasing visibility for drivers.

IMPROVED AIR QUALITY:

By decreasing urban air temperatures, cool pavements can slow atmospheric chemical
reactions that create smog.

REDUCED STREET LIGHTING COST:

Cool pavements can increase the solar reflectance of roads, reducing the electricity
required for street lighting at night.

REDUCED POWER PLANT EMISSIONS:

By saving energy on street lighting and A/C use in surrounding buildings, cool
pavements reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants at power plants.

IMPROVED WATER QUALITY:

Cool pavements lower surface temperatures, thereby cooling storm water and lessening
the damage to local watersheds.

SLOWED CLIMATE CHANGE:

Cool pavements decrease heat absorbed at the Earths surface and thus can lower
surface temperatures. This decrease in surface temperatures can temporarily offset warming
caused by greenhouse gases.

SIMPLY, BENEFITS OF COOL PAVEMENTS ARE:

Cool Pavement reduces energy demand on adjacent buildings.

Provides a better outdoor quality
Zero-carbon resurfacing
High performance thin coating
Long-term durability
Non-toxic material
Preserves the asphalt surface
Leed Certified
Produces a surface of more than 4,300 psi
The skid resistant value is greater than 100
Wide variety of colors to choose from
Generated carbon offset credits
Reduces storm water runoff (with use of permeable pavements)
Reduces runoff water temperature
Can increase the reflective properties of asphalt surfaces.
Produces a pleasant environment and surface, ideal for schools and park.

The built environment in urban areas can cause the temperature to be 6-8F hotter than
the surrounding undeveloped areas, a phenomenon described as an urban heat island (UHI).
UHIs affect the air quality, peak energy consumption, public health, and water quality for a
region, as residents cope with the increased temperature.
Contributing factors to the built environment include building geometry, the prevalence
of dark surfaces, and a lack of vegetation - conditions whereby infrared energy from the sun is
absorbed and retained. Efforts to mitigate the UHI effect focus on trees and vegetation, cool

roofs, and cool pavements, which mitigate and prevent the absorption of solar radiation. This
reflective property, known as albedo, measures the percentage of solar energy reflected by a
surface.

THE ALBEDO OF PAVEMENT SURFACES

DIFFERS GREATLY BY THE MATERIALS USED
IN CONSTRUCTION:
1. The solar reflective index (SRI) is the scale most used in measuring the effectiveness of
cool technology, and incorporates both solar reflectance and thermal emittance in
measuring the thermal effects from the sun.
Cool pavements describe pavements which either have a more reflective surface
than traditional pavements, enable evaporative cooling, or other methods that allow

the paved surface to remain cooler than traditional pavements.

All of the research and developments are based upon the work of the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and the Heat Island Group from Lawrence Berkeley

National Laboratory (LBNL).

Their research established the definition of cool pavements which is now part of the
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system:

Shading hard surfaces with landscaping or design elements.

Using materials with a SRI of 29 or greater. Using an open-grid paving system that

is at least 50% pervious.

2. Techniques for increasing albedo include resurfacing, sealing treatments, and whitetopping. Research has shown that permeable pavements lower surface temperature through
enabling evaporation to happen close to the surface.
3. The projected energy savings of increasing solar reflectance of urban areas is not
insignificant. For every 10-25% increase albedo, surface temperatures could decrease by at
much as 1F.
4. A comprehensive approach to mitigating urban heat islands, through cool roofs, vegetation
and cool pavements, can lower the temperature 1.5F. In 1998 the Heat Island Group
projected that Los Angeles could save $90 million per year if they improved albedo of the
citys pavements.

5. The barriers to implementing cool pavements are still quite high, and there remains a great
need for more research on the policy side of the actual implementation.

To help the field progress, four steps should be taken:

1. Submit a Research Needs Statement to TRB about cool pavements projects, perhaps
in collaboration with the TRB Subcommittee on Pavement Materials and the Urban Climate.
Securing NCHRP funding will not only help move the research forward, the corresponding
report will be something other agencies can refer to when considering cool pavements.
2. Work with federal agencies and national organizations, such as FHWA or AASHTO,
in developing a national framework for implementing cool pavements and other techniques to
mitigate the UHI effect from a transportation standpoint.
3. Partner with a vendor on a demonstration project to more accurately gauge the costs
and benefits of using cool pavement technologies. A demonstration project could be mutually
beneficial, such that the vendor could show the effectiveness of their product at a reduced cost
for the agency, and other barriers to implementation, such as policy and regulations, could be
clarified as well.

4. This Preliminary Investigation includes the literature for current research in the field,
including different methods for reducing the heat of paved surfaces. This investigation sought
information about implementation of these strategies from different agencies, either through
pilot projects or surveys

NATIONAL GUIDANCE:
Currently, most of the recommendations on cool pavements are coming from the EPA or
the LBNL Heat Island Group. Research from groups like NCAT and CPCT are built largely on
the Heat Island Groups work. FHWA currently does not have any formal investigation of cool
pavements, though they are considering them.

Comparing the costs of cool pavements with those of conventional paving materials is
difficult. The cost of any pavement application varies by region, the contractor, the time of year,
materials chosen, accessibility of the site, local availability of materials, underlying soils, size
of the project, expected traffic, and the desired life of the pavement.
Communities that want to use cool pavements as part of a heat island mitigation
program may find it hard to estimate the net costs or benefits based on temperature reduction
alone. The greatest overall value may result when multiple benefits, such as improved
stormwater management and water quality, are factored into the evaluation of a paving
approach.

THE DISADVANTAGES OF A COOL PAVEMENT

Cool pavements attempt to reduce the buildup of heat that raises temperatures in urban
areas. Cool pavements are designed to limit the effect of the phenomenon known as an urban
heat island, which leads to higher temperatures in a medium- and large-sized city compared to
rural areas, according to Drain Scape. Cool pavements attempt to lower the temperature of
parking lots, roads and walkways to reduce the amount of solar energy that is absorbed by
concrete and asphalt surfaces that are emitted during nighttime cool downs.

PAVEMENT:
There are a number of ways that a pavement surface can be cooled, including the use of
technology to lower surface temperatures and the use of vegetation to provide shading to
reduce the effect of the sun in heating road surfaces. The technologies used for cooling
pavements include increasing the reflective nature of a pavement, this can be achieved by
covering asphalt with a concrete surface in a technique known as white topping. The
permeability of a pavement also can be increased to cool the pavement by allowing more water
to enter the road surface, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Alterations can

also be made to the composite structure of a pavement to reduce the amount of heat that is
emitted from the pavement at night during cooler periods.

COST:
One of the major disadvantages faced during the installation of cool pavement
technologies include the increased cost of designing and installing stone and asphalt surfaces
with higher permeability than regular asphalt and concrete installations. The increased
installation costs of permeable asphalt and stone surfaces can lead to later savings in reduced
land retention for storm water runoff basins and underground storm water sewers, according to
Drain Scape.

VEGETATION:
Introducing vegetation to increase shading over paved areas is often used to reduce the
level of solar radiation absorbed into large areas of asphalt and concrete. Parking lots often
benefit from the introduction of trees and other vegetation to provide shade. Parking lot asphalt
can reach temperatures of 50 degrees higher than air temperature, according to Drain Scape.
Cooler pavement in urban areas with little space problems can be found by planting a
large amount of vegetation for shading in built-up areas. Other problems in areas with large
surface areas of pavement, such as parking lots, include providing enough coverage to reduce
asphalt surface temperatures.

TECHNOLOGY:
The disadvantages of cool pavement technology also revolve around problems with
introducing the technology in an industry split between private and public organizations,
according to Cambridge Systematics. Local and state governments are often responsible for
installing pavements and do not have the necessary budgets or expertise to introduce cool
pavements in areas suffering from the urban heat island effect. The use of cool pavements in

rural areas is not regarded as important because of the fast heat loss that often occurs during
nighttime cool downs, according to Cambridge Systematics.

CONCLUSION:
Cool pavements attempt to reduce the buildup of heat that raises temperatures in urban
areas. Cool pavements are designed to limit the effect of the phenomenon known as an urban
heat island, which leads to higher temperatures in a medium- and large-sized city compared to
rural areas, according to Drain Scape.