Traditional houses are more resilient to climate change compared to modern ones: IISc Study

The researchers studied three houses located in different villages of India and with different climatic conditions – warm, humid, and cold. Using data loggers, the researchers recorded temperatures inside these houses every 30 minutes for almost a year.

A study conducted by a team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore has revealed that the traditional houses that are made with locally available materials and knowledge are better suited for changing climates compared to those constructed using modern technologies.
The team of researchers Khadeeja Henna, Aysha Saifudeen and Monto Mani from the Centre for Sustainable Technologies, studied which of the two were more resilient to climate change.

The researchers studied three houses located in different villages of India and with different climatic conditions – warm, humid, and cold. Using data loggers, the researchers recorded temperatures inside these houses every 30 minutes for almost a year.

“Based on these recordings, the authors built a mathematical model to predict how the indoor temperatures would be in the future. The team then simulated three future global warming scenarios with different levels of greenhouse gas emissions. They also estimated how houses constructed using traditional and modern materials behaved in these scenarios,” an IISc statement said.

The researchers found that in all three climates, traditional houses, such as ones with timber walls or slate roofing, were less affected by climate change compared to modern houses, it added.

“In the cold climatic zone, traditional dwellings were warmer indoors, making them more suitable for residence. But in the warm-humid and temperate climatic zones, modern houses had relatively higher indoor temperatures. This would make them more dependent on artificial air conditioning, thereby fuelling global warming further,” the IISc said.

Meanwhile. IISc Bangalore has been ranked among the top 100 universities in Asia in the latest Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2021. IISc Bangalore bagged the 37th position.