Leading the way to Cool Singapore
Dr Kristina Orehounig took over the reins and heads Cooling Singapore at SEC as lead principal investigator. “There is still a lot to do” in tackling urban heat, she says.
Cooling Singapore has been developing strategies and tools to address the urban heat island effect since 2017. Leading the project in its second phase (CS2.0), Dr Kristina Orehounig is eager to share the knowledge with the world. She shares what keeps her going in her new role as lead principal investigator.
Q1. What would a future city that has overcome the urban heat challenge look like?
Dr Orehounig: They would be very liveable cities with a range of sustainable features. Buildings, which are currently one of the main energy consumers, will need almost no energy to bring indoor temperatures to comfortable ranges, and all the energy that they still consume will come from renewable energy sources.
The industrial and power sector will be significantly decarbonised. The city will benefit from urban energy system solutions which include different type of networks, such as electricity, heating, and cooling, as well as new energy storage technologies. These would ideally balance the supply of renewable energy sources and the energy demand of buildings, transport, and industry.
On the other hand, the features of this future city are not derived solely from technological innovations, but also people-centric design considerations. The city offers room for sustainable transport solutions, including cycling lanes and walking paths, a well-connected public transport network, alternative fuel-driven vehicles, and other smart mobility solutions. Urban vegetation, including trees and green surfaces, will make outdoor temperatures more comfortable by providing shade and cooling the ambient air, such that residents can enjoy walking and outdoor activities.
Q2. What is one fundamental change that would bring us closer to this thermally comfortable utopia?
Dr Orehounig: Everyone needs to take responsibility. Often, I hear people say that they support sustainable solutions like the integration of renewables or changing to a more sustainable lifestyle, but think others should do it first. I think if we manage to change this mindset, that would drive a big change.
Governments and cities should be role models in this regard and make it easier for people to make this change. The SG Green Plan in Singapore is already very much in this direction.
Q3. As the new lead principal investigator of the Cooling Singapore project, in what ways do you see Cooling Singapore paving the way? What is your vision for the project?
Dr Orehounig: Cooling Singapore is a unique project, which brings all relevant disciplines together in understanding the main drivers for the urban heat island – the effect where the urban areas experience higher temperatures than the rural areas. By having a better understanding of the drivers, mitigation strategies can be better designed and integrated.
The uniqueness of Cooling Singapore is that not only researchers, but also the government and relevant agencies are working together on solutions, which would then have a better chance of being implemented. Furthermore, within Cooling Singapore, a Digital Urban Climate Twin (DUCT) will be built, integrating different models to simulate the effects of the electrification of vehicles, use of renewable energy, vegetation, urban materials and surfaces, and other scenarios. This integration of models is essential for assessing solutions for reducing the urban heat island effect.
My vision is that DUCT would also be used in other countries and context. If we can develop solutions for Singapore, other cities could adopt these solutions as well. In this respect, I think Singapore could play a leading role.
...the project has a strong link between research and policy...This setting provides the opportunity to work on real-world problems and implement measures to make real impact. Dr Kristina Orehounig
Q4. Coming from central Europe, do you think the urban heat island phenomenon is pervasive mainly in the tropics, or do you see it as a global challenge?
Dr Orehounig: The urban heat island phenomena is present everywhere around the world, but not all areas are affected in the same way. However, what we can be sure of, is that with climate change, the urban heat island effect will be even more severe in cities.
In tropical cities like Singapore, we have to seek solutions so that the city remains liveable. In Europe, with the joint effects of climate change and urban heat islands, some buildings that didn't require cooling systems for its indoor spaces might now require them to keep its occupants comfortable.
This will have a drastic effect on our energy consumption, and if we don't manage to cover this increasing demand with renewable energy sources, the effects of climate change will be even more severe. Therefore, the urban heat challenge is as prevalent in Europe as in Southeast Asia, even if the severity of its effects varies in different areas around the world.
Q5. Trained in architecture and engineering and concurrently serving as head of the Laboratory of Urban Energy Systems at Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology), to what extent do you think working across disciplines and stakeholder groups bring value?
Dr Orehounig: When working on solutions at the urban scale, one soon sees the need for expertise of multiple disciplines, since everything is interlinked. For example, if you were to densify cities due to land resource constraints, the mobility sector (for example, the public transport system) plays a crucial role in maintaining connectivity. At the same time, you will see the impact of these highly densified areas on the micro climate. If you do not fully consider all those aspects in urban design or city planning, then you might not arrive at an optimal solution.
In Cooling Singapore 2.0, researchers from various disciplines, including climatologists, engineers, architects, geographers, and computer scientists, are working together on solutions. Led by the Singapore-ETH Centre and in collaboration with the National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University, and institutions under the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), the project has a strong link between research and policy. Many relevant agencies in Singapore are supporting this project and are directly involved. This setting provides the opportunity to work on real-world problems and implement measures to make real impact.
Q6. As a scientist working to effect positive change in the environment, what keeps you going?
Dr Orehounig: Climate change and rising temperatures around the world are a big challenge for our society and will be even more for following generations. There are many factors that drive rising temperatures, and it is important that we do not just look at any one factor individually, but that we understand the interactions from different angles.
We are currently too slow in driving the change and in implementing solutions effectively. This keeps me as a scientist going. There is still a lot to do.