Glass-Modified Asphalt Shingles for Mitigation of Urban Heat Island Effect

Marwa Hassan
Micah Kiletico
Louisiana State University

Somayeh Asadi
Pennsylvania State University

Industrial Revolution
Every home makes compromises among different and often competing goals: comfort, convenience, durability, energy consumption, maintenance, construction costs, appearance, strength, community acceptance, and resale value. Often consumers and developers making the tradeoffs among these goals do so with incomplete information, increasing the risks and slowing the adoption of innovative products and processes. This slow diffusion negatively affects productivity, quality, performance, and value. This department of Cityscape presents, in graphic form, a few promising technological improvements to the U.S. housing stock. If you have an idea for a future department feature, please send your diagram or photograph, along with a few well-chosen words, to elizabeth.a.cocke@hud.gov.

This study aims to use recycled glass cullet (broken or waste glass suitable for remelting) and titanium dioxide powder in asphalt shingles to increase a roof’s solar-reflectance index while maintaining high performance levels. The study also uses cullet-modified asphalt shingles to alleviate the harmful effects of the urban heat island, and it evaluates the reduction in heating and cooling loads when the new class of asphalt shingles is used.