India's housing future lies in climate-smart design
Building with nature is shaping India’s approach to sustainable homes
It’s 4.30 am and Kishor Mathew and his wife Betty are rolling out their yoga mats as the first rays of sunlight filter into their home in Kottayam, Kerala. Their house has already done much of the work. It has stayed naturally cool through the night, thanks to cross-ventilation, a wind tower that channels hot air out, deep overhangs that block the tropical sun, and a roof designed to breathe. The house has no air conditioners, yet even in Kerala’s sweltering and humid summers, the interiors remain remarkably comfortable.
“We’ve been living here since 2021, and we never had a reason to install ACs,” says Mathew. “Only during about a week of peak summer does it become slightly uncomfortable. Otherwise, the house remains naturally cool.”
For the Mathews, sustainability isn’t an abstract concept. It’s the breeze flowing through their living room, the daylight filling every corner, the compost nourishing fruit trees in the garden, and the noticeably lower electricity bills.
Across India, more homeowners are beginning to seek exactly that: homes that work with nature rather than against it.
The timing could not be more critical. According to the International Energy Agency, buildings account for nearly 30 per cent of global final energy consumption and around 27 per cent of energy-related emissions. At the same time, India, preparing to celebrate its 80th Independence Day, is racing to build for an estimated 400 million additional urban residents by 2050 while pursuing its net-zero emissions target by 2070. Meeting both goals is forcing architects and developers to rethink how buildings are designed.
For decades, glass façades equalled modernity, even in climates where they trapped enormous amounts of heat and increased dependence on ACs. Today, many architects are turning instead to climate-responsive design.
Built for the climate
Multi-award-winning architect and founder of Elemental, Amrutha Kishor, believes the industry is rediscovering a more intelligent approach. “Climate-responsive architecture has to respond to the climate of that particular site. One-size-fits-all architecture will never work,” she says.
Her practice is rooted in Critical Regionalism, a philosophy that combines contemporary design with local climate, geography and cultural wisdom.
“It’s about understanding which parts of vernacular architecture still make sense from a climate perspective and preserving those principles not copying buildings from a hundred years ago,” she explains. “Our lifestyles have changed, so architecture must evolve too. The goal is to create buildings that suit contemporary life while retaining the environmental wisdom embedded in traditional architecture.”
The Mathews’ home she designed reflects that philosophy. Rather than depending on mechanical cooling, it harnesses winds, stack ventilation through a wind tower, carefully oriented openings, roof insulation and generous shading. Burnt clay bricks replace much of the concrete, while white interiors maximise daylight without adding heat.
Many of these ideas are not new. Traditional Indian homes evolved in response to local climates. Rajasthan perfected shaded courtyards and jalis to soften desert heat. Kerala developed steep tiled roofs, deep verandahs and naturally ventilated interiors to cope with heavy rainfall. Wind towers in western India channelled cool air before electric fans existed.
Today’s architects are adapting these time-tested principles with modern engineering, digital modelling and advanced materials.
For Amrutha, sustainability is less about technology than thoughtful design.
“A sustainable building is simply a building that has been thoughtfully designed for its climate,” she says. “A building in north India should be approached completely differently from one in Goa or Kerala. Every place has different environmental realities, and architecture has to begin there.”
The green premium
The market is responding. India is now among the world’s largest markets for LEED-certified buildings outside the United States.
Developers increasingly see sustainability not only as an environmental imperative but also as a commercial advantage.
“We build most of the sustainability into decisions that cost little extra at the design stage. These pay off across the building’s life without adding much to the construction bill,” says Samyag M. Shah, Director, Marathon Nextgen Realty and Convener of CREDAI-MCHI Youth Wing, whose firm has completed more than 80 projects in Mumbai.
According to Anil Pharande, Founder & Chairman, Pharande Spaces, 10 years ago, sustainability was a term that was widely used in brochures. “Today buyers ask direct questions about water conservation and energy savings. The market matured because rising utility costs and pollution made sustainability personal, not philosophical.
“Location and price still lead most decisions—that hasn’t changed. But sustainability has become the tiebreaker. Two similar projects in the same area? The greener one wins now.”
Amrutha cautions against confusing smart technology with sustainable architecture.
“Beauty is important, but comfort is more important.” Technology, she believes, should enhance an already efficient building rather than compensate for poor design.
Ultimately, the strongest case for green architecture may not be environmental at all; it’s personal.
“This house has changed the way we live,” say the Mathews. “We feel healthier, more comfortable and much closer to nature.”
That lived experience, says Amrutha, is often the best advertisement.
“I hope sustainability eventually stops being seen as a specialisation,” she says. “It should simply become the normal way of practising architecture.”■
