Heat-reflective Space Shuttle technology used on playground and running tracks in Palm Springs Unified School District
Work crews sprayed a high tech, heat-resistant coating over the playground at James Workman Middle School in Cathedral City.
It's an infrared reflective ceramic surface, similar to what was used on the Space Shuttle to reflect heat and keep things cool.
"The kids can stay out here for a longer amount of time before they just get worn out just from the heat and the reflection of the heat," said Chuck Mills, a PE Coach at James Workman Middle School in Cathedral City.
With the coating, the playground is now much cooler, which is most appreciated by Mills and the students who play on the surface.
That is especially the case in August and September when day time high temperatures soar well above 100 degrees.
"In my research it was showing they were taking 90 minutes to recover from temperatures they were playing in out here," said Dr. Marlin Dolinsky, an Environmental Psychologist for the Palm Springs Unified School District.
Dolinsky spearheaded the effort to bring the technology to the district, which he says is the first in the country to use the coating.
A similar surface has been applied to the running tracks at Palm Springs High School and Desert Hot Springs High School.
Even standing barefoot on the playground in the heat of mid-day for an extended time is not a problem.
In fact, the temperature difference between the surface and asphalt is significant.
The average temperature difference is about 38 degrees, according to the coating developer Brent Strait, who is the founder of Parker, Arizona-based Floric Polytech.
On Wednesday, the coated surface registered 116.8 degrees, while the blacktop showed 146.5 degrees.
Strait says some days asphalt can reach 190 degrees.
"It's exciting to me to broaden people's horizons and to even see the reaction from the kids when they come back out on it," said Strait.
While pushing for the cooler playgrounds, Dolinsky points to his research and others which found a one percent decrease in learning ability for each degree a child's body temperature climbs above normal.
His other concern with asphalt playgrounds is the "powder" from the surfaces, which he describes as "toxic".
The ceramic surface does not give off a powder.
"I love watching the kids play on it," said Dolinsky.
Strait says the ceramic coated surfaces cost about 30% more than standard asphalt, but also says the surfaces will last about two to three times longer.
Dolinsky gives credit to Gregg Shoemaker, PSUSD's Director of Maintenance and Operations, and Shoemaker's assistant, David Farey, for allowing the projects to move forward.
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Palm Springs Unified School District
