Murky science of comfort part 2: Why we feel suffocated in a building even when it is pleasant outside
Humans are built to get used to local environments but unfortunately industry interests have come to define what ‘comfortable’ room …
Murky science of comfort part 1: Debunking science behind 'comfortable' temperature
What is a comfortable temperature? The question seems benign on the surface but the answer has far reaching ecological consequences
Debunking science behind 'comfortable' temperature
What is a comfortable temperature? The question seems benign at surface but the answer has far reaching ecological consequences
Heatwave in Delhi: Are ACs adding fuel to fire?
Over half the electricity demand during heatwave months can be attributed to need for space cooling at offices, shops, homes
Murky science of comfort part 3: Industry defined standards make us feel uncomfortable without ACs
The Heat, Ventilation and Air Conditioning industry has made sure that we get used to heating and cooling appliances by setting arbitrary …
Jostling for jhuggi land
The Shakur Basti eviction drive calls for a thorough review of the railways’ mandate, politics of urban land and housing of urban poor
Rescuing the stepwells of Jodhpur
If sanitation is treated as a community problem, we can make something happen for very little money
Just like a better iPhone is not the solution to poor telecom connectivity, sanitation cannot be solved by a smart, well-designed product, sold …
कुंभ के बीच बेचैन करते सवाल
अब समय आ चुका है कि धरती की सबसे महान नदियों में से एक के तट पर कुंभ के आयोजन के बदले चुकाई जा ...
Notes on 100 smart cities
The new government is on a techno-heavy mission to create modern cities. Does it have the vision it takes?
Government’s new housing scheme for urban poor leaves vital questions unanswered
According to an unofficial estimate, there is a shortage of more than 40 million dwelling units, with the demand growing at 10 per cent per annum
Urban development agenda 2015
So far, smart cities have been all talks and no action. Will 2015 be any different? A quick account of what Narendra Modi needs to fix to make …
Slums and the story of India's housing crisis
The rate at which informal housing is being destroyed probably far exceeds the rate at which formal housing is being constructed
Courtyard as cold island
With a little twist in traditional design, Akshay Urja Bhawan in Haryana provides a model for affordable green buildings
Indian cities are simmering in their own waste heat
Cities in northern plains used to cool down during night, but nowadays they are trapping this heat overnight sending their citizens into a …
Solid wealth
India is churning out construction and demolition debris at an incredible pace. With landfills overflowing and building material becoming scarce, …
Certified, not certain
Green-rated buildings in India are not necessarily energy efficient
A cool idea
Roofs that reflect sunlight save electricity
Similipal fire shines light on dark hole in India’s real-time air quality monitoring network
Most cities do have manual monitoring systems of air quality but related data becomes available only a year later
Structural safety: preparing for the big one
Implementing seismic codes while constructing buildings will help save several lives in our earthquake-prone cities
Embodied energy demystified
Building materials are much more energy-intensive than perceived. India lags in taking steps to reduce their use
दिल्ली में लू: क्या आग में घी डालने का काम कर रहे हैं एयरकंडीशनर
लू के महीनों में बिजली की आधी से ज्यादा मांग के लिए ऑफिसों, दुकानों और घरों में लगने वाले एसी को जिम्मेदार ठहराया जा ...
Forest fires in Uttarakhand: Absence of real-time air quality monitoring plagues Himalayas
Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh do not have a single official real-time air quality monitor
What’s good insulation?
Many architects use imported, expensive and environmentally inappropriate material
After Ozone layer, cooling industry now burns the whole planet
It first drilled a hole in the ozone layer and is now damaging the entire environment with large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions