In recent decades, environmental issues have been discussed and debated around the world. There are many factors that contribute to these environmental problems. One of these are buildings that play a very important role in this matter; not only during construction, but also through its life cycle.
In the first part of my article, I touched upon the requirement for the solar reflection index in the context index of the Breen Building in Malaysia. In this part of the article we will talk about what is SRI? Urban development is a very important activity to stimulate the economy. However, the same development process led to some other consequences for others. Surface and air temperatures in urban areas are higher than in suburban areas; and the trend is increasing due to the fact that more suburban areas are turning into urban areas. This condition is known as the heat island effect; and although there are many factors contributing to this, solar absorption has been recognized as one of the main reasons for this.
Buildings and paved surfaces are always exposed to solar energy and, thus, absorb more heat directly from the sun; which was eventually released into the environment. Due to this increased ambient temperature, the use of air conditioners has increased significantly, which obviously leads to many other environmental problems.
What is a scientific research institute? This is a composite value calculated on the basis of the equations given in ASTM E1980. The field value is measured using a portable emitter (ASTM C1371), which measures surface reflectivity and emittance value.
A solar reflector is a value measured on a solid material that is scaled from 0 to 1. A value of 1 means that all solar radiation directed to the surface of the material is reflected back, and a value of 0 means that none of them are reflected. Based on the literature, light colors have a much higher reflectivity than dark colors.
Issuance is a measure of how well a surface transmits the absorbed heat, and is also reported on a scale from 0 to 1. A value of 1 indicates 100% emittance. Most concrete products have an emittance value of 0.85 to 0.95.
As indicated in the first part of this series of articles, the Malaysian Green Construction Index for a research institute for concrete paving is at least 29. According to this manual, the paver used must not only reach the minimum research institute, but also for more than 50% of the paving area. Only then will the project meet the green dots for this criterion.
Look at my next article on this topic, which will discuss a more green development index.
