# Research for London links white or reflective colouring of roofs to saving lives

**URL:** <https://solarpunkarchitecture.org/t/research-for-london-links-white-or-reflective-colouring-of-roofs-to-saving-lives/102>\
**Category:** Solar architecture\
**Tags:** color, photovoltaics\
**Created:** [October 3, 2024, 6:07am UTC](https://solarpunkarchitecture.org/t/research-for-london-links-white-or-reflective-colouring-of-roofs-to-saving-lives/102 "2024-10-03T06:07:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Justinas](https://solarpunkarchitecture.org/user_avatar/solarpunkarchitecture.org/justinas/32/326_2.png) [@Justinas](https://solarpunkarchitecture.org/u/Justinas)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2024, 6:07am UTC](https://solarpunkarchitecture.org/t/research-for-london-links-white-or-reflective-colouring-of-roofs-to-saving-lives/102/1 "2024-10-03T06:07:04Z")

</div>

> The researchers found that had cool, light-colored roofs been widely installed throughout London, it could have cooled the city by about 0.8 degrees C on average

 ![image](https://solarpunkarchitecture.org/uploads/default/original/1X/fefcdba91ad3ae52a47f04a7df854645254b698e.png)

White and reflective colours also mean tha a wide part of Solar spectrum is bounced back to atmosphere instead of being absorbed. Thus painting the roofs white prevents the building from heating up. Of course, it highly depends on insulation: in cooler climates modern roofs are well insulated, and the effect would be lesser. In hotter countries you can observe the same knowledge applied in vernacular architecture.

 ![AD-Stunning-Photos-Of-Santorini-Greece-01-2159100551](https://solarpunkarchitecture.org/uploads/default/original/1X/0410581b60983cfcd51987b4b75b137676705f52.jpeg)

Friendly summary of the paper provided by [Techxplore.com](https://techxplore.com/news/2024-09-cool-roofs-london-hottest-summer.html). The research is open access in [nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/s44284-024-00138-1)