Increase evaporative cooling

Options

  • ...with planting and irrigating high transpiration trees that were regionally appropriate (for example, Platanus hybrida, Ficus microcarpa, Gleditsia triacanthos, and Platanus racemosa in Los Angeles).
  • ...with a large surface area water feature (can include anything with constant water on the surface like skims, splash pads, stream daylighting, pond, retention basin, rainwater storage, canals, etc.).

Case Study

Located fewer than 200 miles off the coast of Western Sahara, where late summer heatwaves can bring temperatures well above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, Herzog & de Meuron’s design for Plaza de España includes a 250 ft diameter water feature. The feature helps lower air temperature throughout the plaza through evaporative cooling.

Case Study for 3.4.4

Explore more tactics and resources in the Limit Exposure to Excess Heat strategy.