SD Vision - Halyps Cement

What is the albedo
The albedo (from Latin albēdo, “whiteness”, in turn from album, “white”) of a
surface expresses the ratio of the amount of solar radiation refl ected by a surface
to the total amount of radiation reached by the same surface. Generally, materials that
are light-coloured in the spectrum of visible light have high solar refl ectance and dark
materials have low solar refl ectance. Hence, surfaces with lower refl ectance absorb
more solar radiation. This demonstrates that colour tone and material composition
clearly affect the maximum achievable temperature.
ticularly to its low porosity. It can therefore
be used for all types of equipments, from
the kitchen to the bathroom.
Moreover, for projects intended for
outdoor exposure, Ciments Calcia has
equipped Effi x Design ® with a photocatalytic
version through the use of the
TX Active ® concept, whose de-polluting
and self-cleaning action contributes to
improving our living environment. Effi x
Design ® is very easy to implement. It is
available in 25kg bags on covered pallets,
or big bags to suit all types of needs, the
latest production of the UHPC is ready
for use after mixing it with water. It is a
self-compacting product with controlled
fl owability and malleability, which remains
suffi ciently thick to ensure a good performance
in the moulds and fast removal
from formworks. It doesn’t suffer from any
A photocatalytic pavement in an urban area of Paris
segregation or bleeding, therefore there is
no resurfacing of binder on treated articles,
it remains perfectly homogeneous.
Photocatalytic
Cementitious
Pavements
Policies aimed at revitalizing urban areas
are increasingly focusing on quality of
life improvements, pollution control
and socio-economic development. It is
against this background that we can fi nd
interesting applications of TX Active ® ,
the photocatalytic active principle for
cement products patented by Italcementi
Group. Besides its depolluting properties,
TX Active ® is specially recommended to
reduce the so-called “urban heat island”
effect, a phenomenon that causes urban
areas to be 2 to 4°C warmer than their
surrounding areas. This temperature
difference is mostly due to the dark colours
of buildings and horizontal surfaces (roofs,
roads, squares and sidewalks), that have
gradually replaced trees and vegetation in
the process of strong urban growth.
Recent studies show a clear relationship
between the use of bright cementitious
materials characterized by their high solar
refl ection (commonly known as albedo)
and the reduction of the “urban heat
island” effect, thereby saving energy for
cooling buildings, car parks and roads and
improving air quality. Further, if we consider
that the formation of smog is highly
sensitive to temperatures, a reduction of
ozone formation during summer period
is also possible (ozone is a highly oxidizing
and irritating gas and is the main ingredient
of urban smog). An even more signifi cant
contribution may come from the use of
photocalytic cementitious materials not only
reduce the “urban heat island” effect,
but also keep surfaces clear over time (selfcleaning)
and further reduce air pollution
(depolluting). This is one of the reasons
why TX Active ® has been successful not
only in architectural applications but also
on roads and sidewalks. A clear example
of success concerning the application of a
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