Week 7

Urban Climatology and Cool Materials

How might we design resilient communities and design change in our communities?

This week you will learn about urban climatology and cool materials from UNSW Associate Professor Negin Nazarian and Associate Professor Riccardo Paolini. You will also have the chance to engage in a workshop with Always Collective to connect to Country at your school and consider designing with Country as you gather ideas for Task 4. You will use this learning and your microclimate data to design possible solutions to cool your school. You can share this task at the 50°C Climate Summit on 11 April 2025.

‘We know that cities are warmer than their natural surroundings because of the materials we introduce, because of the vegetation we’re removing and the fact that they retain less water. That is considered urban heat. But we also know that we are living in a warmer world, which means that the temperatures are getting higher with longer heatwaves, that more frequent and also more intense.’

Associate Professor Negin Nazarian, Urban Climatology, Powerhouse 2024

Urban Climatology – Dr Negin Nazarian

Associate Professor Negin Nazarian explains the interactions between people and urban environments during heatwaves. She explains the five principles of Climate Conscious Design: materials, green infrastructure, blue infrastructure, airflow and heat.

Cool Materials – Dr Riccardo Paolini

Associate Professor Riccardo Paolini introduces cool materials that enable our buildings to stay cooler in summer and reduce urban overheating. He shares some of his work with councils to keep playgrounds cool and improve buildings.

Workshop

Designing with Country Workshop

With Always Collective
Date TBA

Collaborating with First Nations cultural knowledge holders, students are invited to ground themselves on Country and consider how it has changed since colonisation. Drawing on these reflections and their own lived experiences, students will design a future for their school that combats climate change and celebrates Country and culture through built form, landscape, materiality and sustainable systems.