Atlanta Curbed Interviews Bill Lomel About Atlanta’s Urban Heat Island Effect

Sentry Roof president Bill Lomel was interviewed by Atlanta Curbed, an online magazine that’s part of a publishing group that covers 14 cities, about how green roofs can help reduce the phenomenon called the urban heat island effect.

An urban heat island is a metropolitan area that’s hotter than nearby rural areas.

The hotter temperatures, which can be as much as 5.4 degrees higher in cities of more than one million people, is caused by vegetation having been replaced by buildings and other hard surfaces (which absorb and store heat) and the emissions from air conditioners, vehicles and other machinery. Restricted air flow between buildings exacerbates the problem, and increased energy demand to cool hot buildings increases the energy costs for the entire area.

Atlanta used to have a significant heat island but it has improved since it peaked in 2000 — that’s good news. The City of Atlanta, including Atlanta City Hall and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, adopted policies to help reduce the heat island effect, and building owners have been installing cool roofs that reflect the sun and reduce energy consumption, which in turn reduces the amount of extra heat in the atmosphere.

Over the years Sentry Roof has installed many green roofs, or vegetative roofs, which are the coolest roofs of all.

While Sentry hasn’t installed any green roofs at the airport, we have re-roofed major sections of the airport — including Concourses A, B, E, and T and the North and South Main terminals (currently in process) — following sustainable design practices. We also repurpose materials from the airport and our other projects whenever possible.

Check out Bill’s take in Atlanta Curbed on how Atlanta fares with green roofing and which types of buildings are good candidates for green roofs. Please feel free to contact Sentry Roof if you’d like more information on green roofs or sustainable roof design. If you’re curious about how hot your roof gets in the summer, you can check out our comparison chart.