Heat mitigation

close up shot of a social housing block

Many low-income households can endure temperatures in their homes close to 40°C during summer and as little as 5°C during winter.

Light coloured roofs stay cool during summer

Outdoor air temperature and cooling energy consumption can be significantly reduced by solar reflective material, research finds.

a montage of a city on the water at day and night

The next generation of supercooling materials can help keep cities cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

sydney city skyline at night

Computational design can identify greater efficiencies across the built environment, enabling us to create more sustainable cities.

sydney city cbd silhouette

New building materials that reflect rather than absorb solar energy can reduce peak temperatures in our cities by up to four degrees. 

Riyadh in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Royal Commission has engaged UNSW’s High Performance Architecture team to reduce the city’s temperatures and make it more sustainable.

heat map of western sydney CBD

Cooling strategies, such as increased greenery and shading and the installation of water features to mitigate urban heat can increase comfort by 50-60 per cent. 

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Urban overheating threatens the lives of people in Darwin, but researchers from UNSW's Faculty of Built Environment have calculated how many lives could be saved by changing the city.