COOL PAINT IN SINGAPORE: EXPANDING ITS USE IN PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECTS

Abstract

Cool paint is a heat reflective technology for exterior building surfaces which has numerous well-documented benefits, particularly in terms of increasing sustainability and mitigating the urban heat island effect. However, as of now there does not seem to be any large scale deployment of cool paint in Singapore. This paper aims to understand the issues and feasibility of adopting cool paint in high-rise residential buildings in Singapore, particularly in public housing, as well as offer recommendations to expand the use of cool paint locally. It was hypothesised that the low rate of cool paint adoption in public housing is due to barriers to implementation. Interviews were conducted with a developer, the Housing & Development Board, and a cool paint supplier to understand their perspectives on cool paint adoption. From the interview findings, it was determined that there are five main issues which impede the adoption in Singapore: cost factor, effectiveness for high-rise residential buildings, maintenance considerations, market demand and regulatory environment. This study concludes that it is currently not possible have widespread implementation of cool paint in public housing due to significant cost considerations and insufficient cost effectiveness.