The Whitest White
A new ultra-white paint could cool buildings, cutting the need for air conditioning.
Scientists have developed a light-reflecting "ultra-white" paint, which they say could negate the need for air conditioning and even reduce carbon emissions, if used on a mass scale. The paint, developed by engineers at Purdue University in Indiana, is capable of reflecting up to 98.1% of sunlight and therefore has the ability to cool buildings.
The "ultra-white" paint is made with a chemical compound called barium sulfate, which is also used in the production of cosmetics and photo paper. The particles are made up of varying sizes, which "scatter" the sun's rays and can even cool immediate surrounding surfaces. Regular paint will absorb between 10% and 20% of sunlight, the new ultra-white paint takes on just 1.9%, an amount small enough to allow a building to lose heat.
White paint has been used for centuries in warmer climates to cool buildings. In a warming climate we will have to find solutions to cool cities and reduce the strength and heat of sunlight. In architecture we will see buildings that have outside covered area’s that create shade and the use of materials and surfaces that have a cooling effect.
We have seen the Vantablack, the blackest black that absorbs 99,9% of the available light, the new ultra-white is its opposite. New technologies in colours and coatings could help reduce the effects of climate change in the future.
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Why this matters
The materials we choose can be beautiful, sustainable, durable and functional. The combination of all of these elements will be a standard in the future.