Addressing Urban Heat Island Challenges: Sustainable Solutions and Collaborative Innovations

“Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) is committed to addressing Urban Heat Island (UHI) issues. Currently, we are constructing affordable, quality, and habitable houses for low-income communities. Additionally, we are establishing the Low-Emission Building Materials and Energy Laboratory, a flagship center at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia located within the Bumi Sariwangi 1 Complex, West Bandung Regency.

Furthermore, it is stated that we have embraced sustainable development concepts for environmental preservation and economic sustainability, continuously innovating by leveraging technological advancements to achieve sustainable development goals.

Vice President of PT Tatalogam Lestari (Tatalogam Group), Stephanus Koeswandi, spoke in an interview with the UPI Public Relations Team regarding Urban Heat Island (UHI). His presence at the 2024 International Symposium and Workshop on Sustainable Buildings, Cities, and Communities (SBCC) aims to follow up on the implementation of research on cool roofs conducted by lecturers in the Architecture Program at the Faculty of Engineering Education and Vocational Training (FPTK) of UPI and BeCool Indonesia.

He further explained, “The urgency lies in the current global warming and Urban Heat Island, which is a hot issue worldwide. We are challenged to solve problems without creating new ones. This certainly requires good technology and material selection. The solution can be realized through collaboration between PT Tatalogam Lestari as a manufacturer, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia in education and research, and BeCool Indonesia with its technology.”

It is hoped, he said, that the use of cool roof technology resulting from the innovation of the Architecture Program at FPTK UPI and BeCool Indonesia, along with the use of environmentally friendly metal and lightweight steel roofing innovations from PT Tatalogam Lestari in house construction, can reduce electricity consumption. It is also hoped that this technology can be accessible to all segments of society, not just the affluent.

These statements were made during the SBCC 2024 event as part of the Keynote Speakers session on the first day, during the Industry and Climate Finance Session, at the Jasmine Junior Ballroom, Pullman Bandung Grand Central, Jl. Diponegoro no. 27, Bandung City, on Tuesday (27/2/2024).

“BeCool is a roof coating paint with excellent technology. BeCool, with its high solar reflectance ability, creates a cool roof surface, thereby automatically cooling the space beneath the roof. We are proactively collaborating with BeCool Indonesia to ensure that this excellent technology can be mass-produced and enjoyed by all segments of society,” he said.

Further elaboration revealed that the Tatalogam Group currently has collaborations with the Architecture Program at FPTK UPI and BeCool Indonesia. Dr. Eng. Beta Paramita, M.T., is a diligent and hardworking lecturer in the Architecture Program at FPTK UPI. It is hoped that UPI can generate sustainable innovations from other researchers so that they can be commercialized through mass production for the benefit of the wider community.”