Creating an island of freshness in Marseille: a project for the future
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Discover the advantages of this space, a true climatic refuge.
What is a "cool island"?
It’s all in the name: a cool island is an area where the temperature is lower than elsewhere. How can this be achieved? By intelligently combining shade structure, water supply and vegetation.
Some studies show temperature differences of 5 to 10°C between urban and rural areas. The idea is therefore to create shaded, planted and cooled spaces in the city to lower the overall temperature.
What are the challenges of urban cool islands in Marseille?
The creation of “cool islands” in Marseille is a response to the problems faced by metropolises, as well as to local issues linked to the Mediterranean climate. Indeed, the city of Marseille experiences intense heat waves, with regular peaks of over 35°C in July and August.
The city has not escaped the over-concreteization that now affects all major conurbations. By waterproofing the soil and reverberating the sun’s rays, this phenomenon exacerbates the consequences of heat peaks in cities. The solution? Creating urban cool islands in Marseille.
How to combat heatwaves in Marseille?
Protecting vulnerable populations during the summer months has become a challenge in all of Marseille’s arrondissements. Setting up an urban shelter is a practical solution that combines three advantages:
- revegetate the city and develop biodiversity;
- create water points by adding skimmers;
- improve user comfort by offering shaded areas.
Climate adaptation in cities takes many forms. It can involve creating green spaces where planting is possible. Where planting is not possible, urban green shading is an interesting solution.
In addition to public spaces, the perimeter of Marseille’s businesses lends itself well to the creation of islands of freshness. This type of project is fully in line with a CSR perspective and demonstrates a real concern for employees’ needs. Creating a shaded, planted break area has a positive impact on workers’ well-being and efficiency.
Cool islands in Marseille's public spaces: why Polymobyl?
Designing street furniture since 1986, we distinguish ourselves on three points: experience, support and project customization.
Polymobyl designs cool urban spaces using robust, eco-friendly materials. We offer a range of structures to create your own island of urban comfort in Marseille:
- urban planters in wood or metal, with or without trellis, to refresh public spaces naturally;
- plant shades to create a shaded area with climbing plants, rainwater harvesters, benches…
- self-supporting planted pergolas to create a real shaded resting place.
Our multidisciplinary team will design your customized project based on an on-site audit. Depending on the available space, site constraints, your wishes and your budget, we design your custom-made island of freshness in Marseille. Each element can be adapted to your corporate identity. Choose Polymobyl for sustainable, elegant and comfortable landscaping.
