Traditional houses better suited for climate change: IISC

A study undertaken by the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) Centre for Sustainable Technologies (CST) Bangalore finds that traditional houses which rely on locally available building materials and knowledge are better suited for climate change. IISC told the media that climate change affects the durability, indoor temperature, and energy demand of buildings. The study evaluated houses in three different villages in India that had temperate, warm-humid, and cold climates. Using data loggers, the researchers recorded temperatures inside these houses every 30 minutes for around a year. IISC developed a mathematical model to predict how the indoor temperatures would be in the future based on these recordings. In the study the researchers published in nature, while pointing out that climate change impacts buildings in multiple ways, including extreme weather events and thermal stresses, said rural India comprising 65% of the population is characterised by vernacular dwellings evolved to passively regulate and maintain comfortable indoors. Further, the team simulated three future global warming scenarios with different levels of greenhouse gas emissions. According to the study, traditional dwellings have design solutions that can help mitigate and adapt to climate change.Image Source Also read: COVID-19’s Impact on Walls & Ceilings