The Science Behind Cool Surfaces

Urban surfaces cooling is backed in science. Get quick facts and see visual explanations of albedo, the urban heat island effect, and climate change abatement.

The Science: Before
The Science: After
Without cool roofs
With cool roofs

For more in-depth explanations, read A Practical Guide to Cool Roofs and Cool Pavements on our Toolkit site. The guide offers a primer for beginners, and an implementation guide for city and building professionals. Search and browse over 500 primary source materials such as documents, images, presentations, videos, and web links on the Cool Roofs and Cool Pavements Toolkit Knowledge Base.