Assessment of the Potential of Cool Materials to Contribute to the Mitigation of the Heat Island Effect in Athens

The mitigation of the heat island effect can be achieved by the use of cool materials that arecharacterized by high solar reflectance and infrared emittance values. Several types of cool coatings,both commercially available and prototype ones have been tested. Their spectral reflectance, infraredemittance and surface temperature measurements reveal that these materials can be classified ascool materials with the ability to maintain lower surface temperatures. Cool materials can be used onbuildings (roofs and walls) and other surfaces of the urban environment.