Online training on Progressing thermal comfort, resource efficiency and sufficiency in mass housing

Date:  May 30, 2020

An online training programme with University of Mysore (UoM) was organised on 30 May 2020, as part of the MoU signed between them and CSE. About 400 registrations were received and nearly 264 participants were logged-in during the sessions. The programme titled 'Progressing thermal comfort, resource efficiency and sufficiency in mass housing' was aimed at sensitizing the faculty and students of the architecture and planning students on CSE's ongoing research on housing, thermal comfort and fiscal strategies to improve and regulate the sector. 

Inaugurated by Prof. Chidambra Swamy (Director, School of Planning and Architecture), the programme commenced with an address from the Vice Chancellor, Prof. G. Hemantha Kumar on CSE’s and UoM’s engagement for research and capacity building on thermal comfort. A keynote by Anumita Roychowdhury stressed on the multifaceted issues in the built environment that are aggravated due to COVID-19 and the need to rethink, draw solutions, embed them into education as well practice.

Technical sessions commenced with Rajneesh Sareen setting the agenda for the training and a session on Ventilation Strategies to Inform Mass Housing. He presented the results of computational flow dynamics (CFD) analysis conducted for a housing site in Telangana. Sugeet Grover extended the discussion on thermal comfort by sharing thermal comfort simulation results for a wider sample of projects in Telangana. Mitashi Singh highlighted the interventions areas for urban planning keeping in view self-sufficient neighbourhoods and discussed fiscal strategies to enable informed designs and layouts for thermal comfort, resource efficiency and affordability. Sonia Rani presented on workplace health and safety with a focus on congestion during and post construction phase.

The team received very good feedback from the faculty members of UoM on the training content and its relevance. They extended a demand for deep-dive sessions on CSE’s research on the built environment in the near future. UoM is the regional resource centre for our affordable housing work in Karnataka. It is also a key stakeholder in the state for housing related policymaking. This sensitization and capacity building programme was a crucial step in taking the thermal comfort and advocacy agenda forward in the state.