Reinforced Polyester Roofs and Natural Cooling Strategies

Under tropical conditions, heat exchanges troughs the roof are significant if compared with other envelope components. In many cases commercial and industrial buildings require to solve both ventilation and natural lighting needs, so the roof becomes the main cooling device. In the other hand manufacture roof process requires to develop a cost / benefit structure able to solve at the same time the user needs, bioclimatic and commercial requirements. The purpose of this paper is to show improvements on design, manufacturing and marketing process of reinforced transparent polyester roofs in order to assure an adequate bioclimatic response at affordable prices. This is essential to assure a sustainable approach under developing tropical areas like Colombia. Bioclimatic features: transparent roofs could be used at the same time as a ventilation and lighting device. This requires the search of specific thermal and lightning standards according to industrial and commercial conditions: light : 100 LUX, SC : 0.20. Heat average gain / m2 : 35 W/m2, ventilation rate to heat discharge an removal hygienic air by stack effect : 16 to 20 volumetric air changes.