Building colour - a black and white issue

Artists’ impression of the new Premier Inn, Cardiff city centre

According to the latest news from ABC Inside Science, an ultra-white paint is being developed that could have a greater cooling effect on buildings than air conditioning. As the article notes, even ordinary white paint can have a significant cooling impact. Green rooves are another option, using various species of plants which have the effect of cooling.

So why are we seeing a swathe of buildings given planning permission in Cardiff that are completely or partly black? The new arena in Cardiff Bay is the most obvious example but there are others, including the building going on the former Track 2000 site which will have heavy black cladding on its upper floors. The new Premier Inn in the city centre is also black from head to toe.

Cardiff Council has declared a climate emergency and is working towards being a carbon neutral council. Yet its planning policies & decisions are enabling/approving buildings which are likely to require additional cooling because they are black on the outside, absorbing extra heat. Some of the measures needed to adapt to increasing summer temperatures are costly; requiring the exterior of buildings to be white/light colour is not.