CSE trains academia on heat resilience and thermal comfort in Mysuru

CSE organized a training programme themed at ‘Heat Resilience and Thermal Comfort for all’ at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), University of Mysore (UoM). About 60 faculty members and 250 students participated the programme in both online and onsite mode. The focus of the programme was on heat resilience and thermal comfort as cities are getting warmer every year due to the changing climate and urban heat island effect. City cooling strategies have therefore become necessary to be integrated with the city planning and design process.

The hybrid training programme was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. B. Shankar, Director, School of Planning and Architecture. +Rajneesh Sareen, Programme Director, CSE in his opening session, highlighted how green recovery is possible by focusing on thermal comfort in the self-built housing segment. Self-construction dominates the housing sector with as much as 70 per cent units being constructed by the occupant. Therefore, this segment plays a crucial role in climate adaptation and mitigating urban heat. Skill building programmes need to include climate-appropriate materials and building techniques so that livelihoods around them can be created.

Mitashi Singh elaborated on the demand analysis for sustainable and traditional materials and building technique in the country in her session. The mass-survey based research showed that people are aware of the benefits of these materials and are willing to play extra to make their house more sustainable. However, they want these sustainable materials and the manpower skilled to use them available locally.

+Sugeet Grover, Deputy Programme Manager, CSE, discussed the native housing materials and building techniques identified and documented in West Bengal, Odisha as well as Karnataka. These houses are being documented by CSE as part of its research programme on climate-appropriate materials and building techniques in the self-built housing segment. The focus of this research is to enable thermal comfort for all as part of wider climate adaptation.

CSE team concluded the sessions with discussion on questions raised by the participants. Dr. H.S. Kumara, Associate Professor, SPA, UoM closed the training programme with his vote of thanks.