Shown for the first time in a site-specific installation for 'State of Extremes', The Coolest White is an innovative and highly-resilient paint created to protect urban structures from excessive solar radiation and reduce the urban heat island effect.
Design Museum Holon unveils a special site-specific installation by UNStudio with manufacturer Monopol Colors showcasing 'The Coolest White', recently revealed for the first time in the exhibition State of Extremes, curated by Aric Chen with Maya Dvash, Chief Curator of Design Museum Holon, and Azinta Plantenga.
The installation visualizes the properties of their latest innovation, The Coolest White, a paint that has been developed to reduce warming in metropolitan areas known as the urban heat island effect. Emulating the density of the city structures, the installation comprises of black and white buildings and skyscrapers, partially painted in The Coolest White, and partially covered in regular black paint. The installation implements a heat-sensing camera to allow visitors to see the difference in temperature, envisioning the effect of The Coolest White.
One of the main causes of the urban heat island effect, is the heat-retaining materials used in built environments which makes cities significantly hotter than their surrounding areas as well as the lack of green spaces and exhaust from air-conditioning which also contributes to the boiling effect. As buildings absorb solar radiation and store heat from the sun, greater energy is required to cool their interiors, while more heat is released and trapped in the urban environment. The Coolest White is an ultra-durable paint based on fluoropolymer technology, which protects buildings and urban structures from excessive solar radiation - thus slowing down the urban heat island effect.
With global warming causing extreme weathers, drastic climate change cause dramatically receding glaciers, flooding and wildfires which severely affecting the planet, The Coolest White demonstrate how design acts as a mediating and healing force. Designers, scientists and engineers responding to these issues with new innovative products that can potentially save the planet.
The installation featuring The Coolest White by UNStudio and Monopol is now on view at Design Museum Holon until May 9th, 2020.