Rising urban temperatures are no longer a future risk for Indian cities; they are a present reality. India’s annual mean temperature has already increased by 0.15°C per decade since 1951, and extreme heat now threatens health, livelihoods, and infrastructure at scale.
Buildings both contribute to and help reduce heat stress. Well-designed buildings remain one of the most effective buffers against heat stress, particularly for vulnerable groups, the elderly, outdoor workers, and residents of informal settlements, for whom a building’s ability to stay cool passively can be a matter of health and survival, not just comfort.
This guidebook helps urban stakeholders understand the challenges in modern building design and construction practices and apply practical solutions appropriate to their local climate. It covers how urban form, street geometry, surface materials, and green-blue infrastructure shape the baseline heat conditions a building must contend with, and why building design and city-level planning must work together.