As the climate heats up, a large number of people in resource-constrained societies from the Global South will be exposed to the extreme heat burdens indoors. Moreover, with a massive affordable housing stock built in these parts of the world to close the gaping housing deficit, they will be at risk from the climate warming burdens if not well designed to mitigate and adapt to the extreme heat. Combining sound building engineering with local socio-cultural practices and norms can aid in creating "good" climate-resilient homes. A well-designed house can help realise the heat-health potential. The narratives from the residents will tell us what extreme HEAT means to them, how they adapt to it, and how locally acceptable solutions can be translated as innovative design parameters. Exploring these questions through data narratives can inform a "good" heat-resilient affordable housing design. This project stems from the wide range of research projects on heat-resilient low-income houses in India, Ethiopia and Kenya. The data narratives help contextualise the designs while making the future affordable housing stock resilient.

Media coverage - Heatwaves in India