The outdoor advertising company JcDecaux installs the first two cooling shelters in Pavones and Villaverde in collaboration with the Municipal Transport Company.
The outdoor advertising company JcDecaux, a member of the Forum for Madrid, has promoted, together with the EMT and the Madrid City Council, the “Refreshing Shelter”, a product that offers a cool space for the well-being of users during periods of extreme heat and whose first installation took place last July at the Pavones interchange.
In order to mitigate the increase in temperature in the city, JCDecaux has carried out a thorough study based on the natural cooling technique, allowing cooling shelters to have an evaporation system. The prototype is the result of an innovation patented by JCDecaux and EMT Madrid will evaluate its operation on public roads for at least six months.
Since 1980, each decade has been warmer than the previous one, and since 2010, average annual temperatures have been the highest ever recorded. This constant increase has made it essential to find effective solutions to mitigate heat in urban areas, a fact that increases environmental, health and well-being risks in society.
Madrid's climate: an advantage for the cooling canopy
Madrid offers ideal conditions for the cooling system of the structure to operate. The intense heat that characterises it increases the evaporation rate of the canopies. This process is essential for the system to function optimally, ensuring that the surrounding air remains cooler for users.
Another factor that favours the product's performance is the capital's dry climate. This feature is ideal for evaporation, meaning the canopies can operate more efficiently and continuously.
In addition, the breezes produced in the city accelerate the evaporation process, allowing the cooling system to accelerate. These air currents help disperse the hot, dry air, replacing it with a cool breeze generated in the canopy itself.
A cooling system capable of reducing ambient temperature
The solar-powered system operates through an intelligent control that is activated according to external conditions such as the presence of users, temperature, time, rainfall forecast and water reserve level. This structure has an evaporation and ventilation module, which allows the air to cool to acclimatize the space.
Through tests with prototypes, the effectiveness of the cooling system has been confirmed, capable of reducing the temperature by up to 9 degrees, a variation that depends on the climatic conditions of the place.
For example, when measuring the temperature in the prototype, it was observed that the outside temperature of the canopy was 35ºC, with a thermal sensation of 48ºC. In contrast, the inside temperature remained at 30ºC, with a thermal sensation of 32ºC.
This pilot project will allow EMT Madrid and JCDecaux to evaluate the real operation on public roads of this prototype, which can make a significant difference in the customer experience during periods of intense heat. The EMT Madrid network, which has managed to exceed 247,6 million passengers in the first six months of 2024, currently has 5.186 bus stops equipped with 4.565 shelters spread throughout the city of Madrid.