Architecture Building Material Samples

Resources related to architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning building materials.

Impervious surfaces are nonporous and commonly used on parking lots, roads, and walkways.

Examples include concrete, asphalt, and brick. All increase the urban “heat-island effect” and stress the stormwater system.

Permeable pavers infiltrate and cleanse stormwater by allowing water to flow through the gaps in-between the pavers.

Permeable pavers reduce stress on the stormwater system and reduce the heat island effect through evaporation and percolation of water.

Porous paving contains many voids throughout its structure that allow water to infiltrate the soil at a high rate.

Porous paving reduces reduces thermal pollution, runoff, and stormwater. It also recharges ground water.

While the previous porous surfacing incorporated recycled materials, vegetated surfacing is also an option.

Vegetated surfacing reduces stormwater load and further reduces the surface’s impact on the “heat-island effect.”

Albedo is a measure of the ability of a material to refect energy. High albedo materials reflect a lot of energy which results in a lower overall temperature.

Due to the light color of the surfacing, it has a relatively high albedo, which in turn reduces the amount it would contribute to the “heat-island effect.”

For more information, look at Meg Calkin

There are also a wealth of articles about it but most notable are the USGS Survey Report 2018-5037 and Kuruppu et al