"Comolevi® Fractal Shade" that Utilizes Natural Cooling Effects
NBC Meshtech Inc.
| Publication date | July 16, 2019 (Posted on August 1, 2022) |
|---|---|
| Sector | Life of Citizenry and Urban Life, Human Health |
Company Overview
NBC Meshtech Inc. offers products to all industries, including screen printing materials, industrial materials, chemical products, and insect netting, with advanced mesh technology as its core. We are proud of our world's top-class technology in the field of screen printing mesh cloth.
Climate Change Impacts
The effects of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent in many parts of the world. Particularly after the 1990s, the number of years with high temperature has become more frequent, and phenomena such as extreme heat has also been increasing. In Japan, the annual number of hot summer days (maximum daily temperature of 30°C or higher) and extremely hot days (maximum daily temperature of 35°C or higher) has increased at a rate of 0.2 days per decade. In urban areas, the heat island phenomenon caused by urbanization is also causing concerns about further increases in the occurrence of heat stroke due to rising temperatures. For this reason, there has been a growing demand for technologies and products that improve the indoor and outdoor heat environment of buildings.
cf. Government Report "Climate Change in Japan and Its Impacts" 2018
Adaptation Initiatives
The Comolevi® Fractal Shade is a shade with moderate gaps in between, which was developed from research on the structure of how light passes through trees. It creates natural breeze like the tree shade, and provides a comfortable space without the use of energy or electricity.
Fig. 1 Using a Comolevi® Fractal Shade
（Comolevi® is a registered trademark of ROSFEE Co.）
(1) What is a Fractal?
A fractal is a geometric concept in which the components of the figure and the whole figure are self-similar. It is commonly found in nature, such as in the patterns of leaf veins and the branching of trees. Comolevi® Fractal Shade is made from a single piece of fabric in the shape of a Sierpinski tetrahedron, and is based on the concept to create a comfortable space similar to the shade and breeze created by trees in the nature.
(2) Artificial Shade of Trees
Comolevi® Fractal Shade provides a comfortable space that adequately blocks direct sunlight but still lets the sunlight pass through like natural trees.
(3) Cooling Effect by the Breeze
The adequate breeze will efficiently release the heat from the sunlight into the atmosphere, controlling radiant heat compared to conventional shades and tents, and providing a better cooling effect.
(4) Flexible with Winds
Like the trees rustling in the wind, Comolevi® Fractal Shade are flexible enough to have good control over the wind and are less susceptible to the effects of the wind than conventional shades and tents.
(5) Requires No Electricity or Water
Since it does not require power or watering for growth as in the case of greenery curtains, its environmental impact is smaller than that of other cooling methods.
Effects / Expected Benefits
It is expected that temperatures in the summer will rise further in the future due to climate change, and the use of Fractal Shades will help to secure a comfortable outdoor space using natural principles that do not require electricity or heat.
(1) Temperature
The solar radiation shielding percentage of the Comolevi® Fractal Shade is about 80%. The surface temperature tends to be more than 15°C lower than that of concrete roofs and tents in the area, confirming that it is cooler under the shade than the surrounding area.
(2) Users
We investigated the occupancy rate of chairs under the Comolevi® Fractal Shade and under the parasol over three days. The chairs under the Comolevi® Fractal Shade was more likely to be used during the hours when the sun was out.
※ Comolevi® Fractal Shade is a product jointly developed with LOSFEE Co., Ltd. and Kyoto University.
