Are there any recommended materials for a playground pour-in-place fall protection surface that will maintain a lower temperature during full sun exposure?
Matthew EstesSr. Project Manager| Capital Program ManagementMariposa, United States
I am working with a client who manages a large number of public parks. They are concerned that Pour-in-Place rubber surfacing may get too hot on a sunny day. Are there any materials that you have worked with that are designed to reflect sunlight, limit thermal retention, or otherwise maintain a cooler surface when they are not, or cannot be in the shade? I have done some research, but so far, I am coming up empty-handed. I have contacted IPEMA to see if there is a similar certification process to the "cool roof" certificate that can be applied to pour-in-place surfacing.
I am curious if there are any materials that we can try, or if I need to push our client more in the direction of adding shade, selecting light finishes, and setting reasonable parameters around heat for closing the playground.
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Mathew, my expertise is not in parks but we do lots of landscaping design as part of our Real Estate Developments. That said, I am not aware of specific material but what I suggest you do is use lighter colors that reflect near-infrared light and consider coating that are reflective. Saving Changes...
Mathew,
Although not my field, I do have some related engineering and personal experience. Lighter colors will reflect energy which will help prevent heating the surface, but can also result in more severe sunburn. Solar radiation is approximately 1kW per square meter. Children will both receive the direct radiation from the sun, and the reflected radiation. Standing on a large reflector, a person can be subject to significantly more reflected radiation than from the direct sunlight. It's what causes very bad sunburns when people are on the water, snow fields, and when working on roofs coated with aluminum paint.
A different approach is the type of porous material used on high-end running tracks. The voids in the material that give it a springy surface also mean there is less material to absorb thermal energy that can be conducted back to people in contact with the surface. Not only is there less material to retain the heat, but there is less contact area due to the voids.
Keith Saving Changes...
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