A coating that cools the streets

Roofing company GAF developed StreetBond, a coating for pavement, that comes in various colours and reflects sunlight, cooling the streets.

Within cities, the heat island effect is a major problem. Due to concrete and brick buildings, as well as little nature, the solar heat absorbed, causing the city to become hotter than the surrounding area.

StreetBond pavement coatings bond to both asphalt and concrete surfaces to provide a durable, aesthetic finish that helps protect and extend the life of pavement. It was used in the GAF Cool Community Project, in which a 10 square block area in Los Angeles, US, was coated with SteetBond’s DuraShield. This coating has ‘Invisible Shade’ technology, which reflects sunlight. Pavement surface temperatures were benchmarked and monitored with initial results indicating a drop of 8 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (4 to 8 degrees Celsius).

In addition to being heat reflective, the coating comes in over 70 colours. This offers the possibility for aesthetic streets, but also better visible parking spaces or bike lanes.

Photos: StreetBond