Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

This pilot project uses a new type of paving which mitigates the effects of climate change. The paving has been installed in C/ Torrent de l’Olla, between C/ Santa Perpetua and Trav. Gràcia, in collaboration with the European project Life Heatland.

The pilot project has also been conducted in the city of Múrcia, where a 15ºC drop was achieved in the temperature of the road surface, along with a 2 ºC drop in the environmental temperature, a drop of 3 decibels in noise and 173% more in solar reflection.

Specifically, benefits compared to usual road surfaces include:

• Reducing the temperature of the asphalt by up to 15 ºC thanks to cold paving in a light colour, which doesn’t absorb as much heat as conventional paving.
• The reflective beige paving improves driving conditions at night, offering the same luminosity with lower power usage from streetlamps and fostering energy savings.
• Reducing noise in the vicinity.
• The materials used generate fewer emissions and help cut greenhouse gases.

The installation is part of the European project Life Heatland, together with the Centro Tecnológico de la Construcción Región de Murcia (CTCON) and the construction company CHM Obras e Infraestructuras. The results of the new road surface will now be assessed, looking at variables such as noise, light and temperature.