Catalogue of urban surface finish materials: optimizing solar energy management in Latin American cities located in different climatic zones

Abstract

The use of surface materials with adequate thermo-optical properties at pavements, facades and roofs is an effective strategy to optimize the management of solar energy in cities, mitigate urban overheating and improve energy efficiency in their buildings. This work presents an analysis of urban surface finish materials in five cities that cover a wide range of geographic and climatic locations along Latin America: Campinas (Brazil), La Paz (Bolivia), Mendoza (Argentina), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and Valparaíso (Chile). One residential neighborhood was selected in each city with special need for urban and building rehabilitation. A unified procedure was defined to examine the in-use urban finishing materials and collect preliminary data affecting their interaction with solar radiation at the five neighborhoods. The results indicate that in-use materials were not selected according to the specific climatic characteristics of each location. These preliminary data were compiled into a catalogue that will be expanded in future research with the experimental thermooptical properties of the in-use materials and those locally available for urban rehabilitation. The final objective of the research is the proposal of urban surface materials adapted to the local conditions in each city and considering sustainability aspects as well.