Latest news with #shade
ABC News
3 days ago
- Science
- ABC News
Vine-covered car parks helping to cool Western Sydney's urban heat islands
A new approach to providing shade at notoriously hot car parks has been shown to slash surface temperatures by up to half on summer days in Western Sydney. Surface temperatures at a busy car park in Merrylands are being reduced by as much as 35 degrees Celsius by vine-covered trellises which were installed and planted two years ago. On the hottest days, surface temperatures were shown to drop from 70C to 35C when in shade. Results from a study by Western Sydney University (WSU) and Cumberland City Council also show a reduction in air temperatures by up to 2.5C under the shading vines. The trellises are part of what the study described as Australia's first cool car park. Fast-growing vines grow over the top of metal supporting structures and then spread over a stainless steel mesh roof. Cumberland Mayor Ola Hamed said the project was promising for the area where temperatures in summer heatwaves have reached 45C. "Merrylands and Granville top some of those suburbs as well in terms of urban heat," Ms Hamed said. Ms Hamed said the shading structures at council-run car park Holroyd Gardens did not reduce car parking spaces. The initiative was funded by a grant from the NSW government to foster green infrastructure. WSU's Professor Sebastian Pfautsch, who has been studying the vine-covered trellises' impact for the past three years, said the vines were expected to grow completely over the metal wire mesh in two years. "We demonstrate with our solution that you can do it in a way so that you don't even lose valuable car parking space." Professor Pfautsch said the trellises were made of a wire mesh that birds could not rest on, so residents did not find their cars defecated on, and used vines that did not grow fruit that could drop on parked vehicles. Professor Pfautsch said more than 6 square kilometres of Western Sydney were dark-surfaced car parks, and only 1 per cent of that was effectively shaded. Cumberland council's area includes 1 square kilometre of uncovered car park. He said these car parks could have surface temperatures greater than 70C on a hot day. "It's always those unshaded car parks that come out as micro heat islands," Professor Pfautsch said. A WSU report presenting the findings from the car park shades said the issue was pointed in Sydney's west where there was a greater dependence on cars because of a lack of public transport alternatives. Urban heat islands are particularly harsh in Western Sydney where temperatures can reach above 40 degrees during summer heatwaves. Extreme heat has killed 300 people and hospitalised more than 7,000 across the country over the past decade, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Professor Pfautsch said Western Sydney also experienced hotter temperatures in summer due to the geographical bowl that traps heat in, and increased development replacing green environments. "That bowl means once you have hot air in it, it's very difficult to blow it out," Professor Pfautsch said. Another cool car park structure has been set up at a commuter car park in Wentworthville, also in the Cumberland council area. Ms Hamed hoped more of them could be set up at car parks in the area, including at public and privately owned car parks. "We're looking at other places around the LGA where we can replicate this as well," she said.
News.com.au
01-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Aussie couple's viral biz idea solves common beach problem
When Jeremy Scott and Elizabeth Afrakoff went on a beach date in 2021, they struggled with a cumbersome beach umbrella. The beach date disaster however inspired Scott, who grew up on the iconic beaches of Sydney and has a background in sports, and his fiancee Afrakoff, who has a background in finance – to create a compact, portable, and more stylish shade solution. Unlike the popular cabanas that have soared in popularity in recent years, they aimed to design a beach cover explicitly for solo beachgoers, addressing a clear gap in the market. 'We wanted something that not only saves space but also ensures an unobstructed view and flexibility, allowing users to set up anywhere on the beach,' the pair told 'Our research showed that a considerable number of people still weren't bringing any shade to the beach at all because they couldn't find a suitable option, and we wanted to change that.' They began to explore their idea further, spending countless hours sketching and prototyping in their backyard until they found a design that stuck. Then, they took one of their samples on holiday to Hawaii, where they put it to the ultimate test. After ensuring it was windproof and finetuning the measurements, colours, and materials, they were prepared to launch their business idea. In December 2024, their brand Swim Shady was founded. The Swim Shadys come in five unique prints and weigh just 1.8 kilos, making them ideal for travel and for fitting into your beach bag. Their UPF 50+ diamond-shaped canopies are designed to mirror the natural shape of the body, while the pole at one end ensures that other beachgoers can still see out to the ocean. It's also equipped with a rotating hinge that allows people to adjust the shade's direction and angle throughout the day as the sun moves. The brand also sells other products, including reversible, water and sand-resistant swim bags, towels, and quick-dry swim shorts, but it's their hero product that has propelled them into the mainstream in recent months. The co-founders had the idea to start posting on TikTok, and their first video openly addressed the beach cabana debate that reignites every summer. Over footage of Balmoral Beach in Sydney, bustling with the giant shades, the brand captioned the post, 'not everyone needs a cabana' – highlighting the fact that many couples or small groups use cabanas, despite them being large enough to accommodate a large family. Their account quickly gained traction, and one of their more recent videos, showcasing the day they launched on Aussie beaches, has just reached over 2.2 million views. 'I have been searching so long for something like this,' said one commenter. 'Genius,' said another, as someone else declared the idea as just 'making sense'. 'The entire construction of this is BRILLIANT. Not blocking anyone's view and is functional,' said another new fan. The couple say the response has been 'incredible,' and the number of views are climbing by the second. 'The viral moment has connected us with a global audience and validated our mission,' the entrepreneurs shared. 'The reach has also translated to sales and introduced Swim Shady to new markets worldwide. It's now been sold in over 20 countries. 'The excitement and interest from customers have been incredibly encouraging.' Whenever something like this goes viral, users are quick to suggest new product iterations. 'Any chance you'll be looking to do a double Swim Shady for two people?' one commenter asked on TikTok. While the business is less than six months old, the founders say they will 'consider everything' in the future, and exploring new products is definitely on the radar. But for the time being, their focus is on the growing international demand. 'We'd love for Swim Shady to become a must-have accessory for European travellers,' they shared. 'With new laws across Europe requiring 50 per cent of beaches to remain open for public use, travellers are increasingly choosing portable shade to avoid the hefty fees charged by beach clubs.' With summer on the horizon Down Under, we think it'll soon be a cult accessory on Aussie beaches too. Watch this space.
