Colorful facades have enriched the look of cities and towns since forever. But does the selection of the color affect the indoor temperature?
According to meteorologists, heat waves are a natural phenomenon. However, climate change is becoming more noticeable at our latitudes: since the year 2000, there has been a demonstrable increase in the average temperature and increasing numbers of heat waves, resulting in a huge rise in related health problems. People are increasingly asking themselves: “Is it necessary to avoid dark colors on facades to cool the indoor rooms?”
Most of our users' favorite facades are indeed white. Possibly we adapted our taste to the climate change already. Our research team set up a stationary simulation to find out if it is necessary to avoid color on the facades to escape the heat in the summer.
The effect in brick houses without insulation is indeed significant. With a simulated outside temperature of 32°C and direct sunlight a black facade increased the wall surface in the room about 5C°. The insulated house made of concrete, however, showed almost no difference of the wall temperature indoors: white facade: 26.3°C vs. black facade: 26.9°C. The worst performer was the black concrete house without insulation.
Research shows a huge variety of facade colors is possible without affecting the indoor climate – provided you use the right consutruction material. Learn more about the VIVA research park.