Imagined What it could do
Imagine market stalls sheltered by giant living canopies that open their caps in the heat of the day and close them at night, keeping fruit fresh and shoppers cool without any machines.
Real world Why shade matters
Cities get much hotter than the countryside because dark roofs and paving soak up sunlight. Heatwaves are dangerous, especially for older people, babies and outdoor workers. Shade can make a big difference: surfaces in shade can be many degrees cooler than surfaces in full sun.
Trees are the best shade-makers, because they also cool the air by releasing water through their leaves.
Real world A giant wooden "mushroom"
In Seville, Spain, one of Europe's hottest cities, the Metropol Parasol was completed in 2011. It is a huge wooden structure of six mushroom-like parasols that shades a public square, with a market beneath and a walkway on top. Locals nicknamed it "Las Setas", the mushrooms.
Art In this artwork
This illustration shows market stalls under large mushroom-shaped canopies, with lanterns and baskets of goods.
Look closer
- Notice how the canopies shade the stalls.
- What goods are for sale?
Think about it
- How could shade reduce a city's need for cooling?
- Where would shade help most in your town?
- Why might trees be better than umbrellas for shade?
Key words
- Urban heat island
- When cities are hotter than the countryside around them.
- Parasol
- A shade, like an umbrella.
- Heatwave
- A period of unusually hot weather.
Use it in class
- What is solarpunk? (Explainer, grades 7-12)
- How to design a fantasy city: a worldbuilding guide (Guide, grades 6-12)
Sources
The real-world facts on this page are based on these sources:
- Metropol Parasol, Seville, designed by J. Mayer H. (completed 2011)
- US Environmental Protection Agency, "Heat Island Effect" and "Using Trees and Vegetation to Reduce Heat Islands"
