Summer in the city

Hello from Axalta ColourDesign! This month our theme is urban living, with a range of articles exploring different facets of resilient and liveable urban environments – from the importance of green spaces to innovations in cool facades.

While our cities may be heating up, the good news is that across the world architects, designers and city planners are working with industry partners like Axalta to develop ingenious design strategies and products to ensure our cities remain pleasant, green and liveable. Read on to find out more.

Urban climate change

Anyone living through a hot summer in the city is likely to be aware of the phenomenon of urban heat build-up. We take a look at some of the design strategies being employed across the world to mitigate urban heat islands and we drill into the meaning of urban resilience today.

Durable buildings, durable cities

An opportunity to check out some of the latest innovation, research and strategy around the building envelopes of the future, including Grimshaw’s Terra Pavilion. Plus, how Axalta’s POLAR collection of super durable powder coatings can reduce surface temperatures of buildings and urban furniture by up to 20oC.

Exploring the humble park bench

We know that parks and green spaces are an essential aspect of urban heat mitigation, helping to cool down hot cities and their inhabitants. But have you ever wondered about the history of the park bench? We investigate the role of the bench in placemaking from the Ancient Greek agorae to Manhattan’s ‘Central Park Settee’.