Smart Surfaces for SFO aiRport
People and Planet
Large areas of dark, impervious surfaces trap heat and stormwater, making airports hotter and more prone to flooding. Smart Surfaces can safeguard the health and well-being of outdoor workers at San Francisco International Airport while minimizing contributions to climate change.
Russss, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Project Objectives
Conduct micrometeorological modeling to understand the relationship between local surface characteristics and the airport’s heat profile
Develop a customized Cost-Benefit Analytic Tool to assess the impact of Smart Surfaces on airport projects
Identify paving and roofing materials that can improve outdoor environments, advance equity, and support climate objectives at SFO
Provide proposed updates to SFO’s Sustainable Planning, Design, and Construction Standards
Smart Surfaces Impact at SFO
Social
Improve worker and passenger experience
Protect worker health & safety
Advance equity by providing safe worksites
Maintain airport leadership in sustainability
Environmental
Reduce electricity use
Minimize global warming impact
Reduce stormwater runoff
Improve SFO’s environmental stewardship
Economic
Increase worker productivity
Maximize infrastructure durability and service life
Reduce electricity cost
read the full reports
The Smart Surfaces Coalition (SSC) has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the local climate and SFO’s surface characteristics and evaluated how cool (reflective) surfaces in particular can improve the working environment of outdoor workers. This study uses high resolution local climate modeling to evaluate three roof and pavement albedo modification scenarios (low, moderate, high) for their impact on air temperature and worker productivity.
Heat exposure in outdoor work environments poses risks to worker health and productivity. Engineering solutions like cool surfaces that increase surface albedo and reduce temperatures may help mitigate these impacts. We conducted detailed micrometeorological modeling to analyze surface characteristics and heat exposure for outdoor workers at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) under current conditions and three hypothetical albedo-increase scenarios.
