Interventions to tackle the Urban Heat Island (UHI)
Client - Foster + Partners
Strategy Design
6-9 min read
My Role
Researcher and
strategist
Team
Akshat Choudhary
Dhimant Badan
Duration
3 months
What Did I do?
User Research
Strategist
Prototype
Overview
Yester Tower is a research-driven design investigation for Foster + Partners addressing the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect in Delhi. We explored traditional cooling strategies stepwells, garden fountains, Mughal airflow techniques, and Badgirs to identify culturally rooted, low-energy interventions. Through site research, material study, and performance thinking, we selected Badgirs as the most adaptable and effective element to be reinterpreted into modular rooftop devices.
Project Brief
Proposing interventions to address the Urban Heat Island effect in Delhi using indigenous, culturally rooted, and alternative cooling strategies.
Our Understanding of Urban Heat Islands
An Urban Heat Island occurs when a city or a region experiences much warmer temperatures than nearby areas. The difference in temperature between such not so geographically far away areas has to do with how well the surfaces and infrastructure of the environment absorb, trap and release heat.
Where We Began
We started by immersing ourselves in research understanding our client, their ongoing sustainability driven projects, and the broader issue of UHIs globally and within Delhi.
Although none of us came from an architectural background, we were deeply interested in exploring ancient cooling systems, indigenous materials, and culturally rooted practices. This curiosity set the direction for our project from day one, guiding us toward solutions inspired by traditional wisdom blended with modern thinking.
UHI DIRECTIONS
Our research led us to several traditional cooling systems, including stepwells, garden fountains, Mughal airflow methods, and Badgirs. Studying how each element passively manages heat helped us understand their relevance in modern environments. Among these, Badgirs offered the strongest balance of cultural relevance and functional performance, making them our final direction.
In Persian, “Badgir” (بادگیر) refers to the traditional structure known as a windcatcher, wind tower, or wind scoop. Originating in Iran (Persia) they were also present in the pre-freedom India.
These structures are used to create cross ventilation and passive cooling in buildings by the use of air pressure and other airflow techniques,
Purpose
Bellow are some of the techniques and principles that we found were used in Mughal architecture for air flow and cooling of spaces.
Hot, Arid and Semi arid
Climate
Clay, Wood, Mud and Mud bricks
Materials
Widespread in Iran, evidences can be dated back to ancient Egypt and Babylon. In city of Hyderabad in pre freedom India.
Origin
Ardakani (One sided), Kermani (Two sided), Malqaf(Three sided), Yazdi (Four sided). Some use pools of water to cool the air entering.
Varients
With different heights, uni and multidirectional channels, variants with pools of water and without, badgirs can be considered quite adaptable.
Adaptability
Chimney during winters, ventilation even if cooling effect might not be taking place.
other Purposes
The air flow of a Badgir is shown in the bellow diagrams with few variations in the layout while the actual principle behind it all remains the same
Direction Reveal Panel
Introducing
Yester-Towers are pipe like modules made of metal steel and terracotta that can be installed along a building as per the height/cooling need of the building. These modules then serve the purpose of capturing wind from above rooftop level and then redirecting it to inside rooms while exhausting out the warmer air present in the enclosed rooms, reducing the need of air conditioners largely as it takes obsoletely no electricity to operate just principles of aerodynamics and manipulation of air pressure.
SKETCHES
Thanks for watching
Akshat Choudhary
Scroll to top
Get in touch
Lets create cool things together
Made with lots of love, coffee and framer (of course!)
CORNER ACCELERATION
Delhi - Hot and arid climate
Badgir - Adapts in hot and arid climate
Delhi building height limit - 17.5 meters
Badgir max built recorded - 33m
Iran avg wind speed-10mph
Delhi avg wind speed- 8mph
Delhi avg balcony weight capacity-
18kgs/sq ft
Yester-tower singular module- 1.5 - 2kgs
Modules needed for a storey- 5
Weight on a single storey side- 7.5-10kgs
In conclusion, our innovative solution for tackling the urban heat island effect, designed for our esteemed client Foster + Partners, draws inspiration from the time-tested principles of Badgir and ancient Mughal techniques of passive cooling. By seamlessly blending traditional wisdom with contemporary design, our proposed product promises a sustainable and efficient approach to mitigate urban heat island challenges.