We have become so dependent on electric appliances that it is easy to forget what life felt like before air conditioners hummed in every room and rising electricity bills became a part of summer.
For generations, people lived with the climate, not against it — designing homes and public spaces that worked with the wind, shade and sunlight. In Rajasthan’s Jodhpur, that spirit of climate-smart living is finding a new purpose in the face of an increasingly dangerous challenge: extreme heat.
As temperatures soar year after year, the city has introduced a net-zero cooling shelter that can remain up to 8°C cooler than the outside environment, all without air conditioners or heavy energy consumption.
More importantly, it offers relief to those who need it the most: delivery riders, street vendors, daily wage workers, senior citizens and anyone spending long hours outdoors under the scorching sun.
Designed to cool, without costing the planet
At first glance, the structure may seem simple. But every element has been carefully planned to reduce heat naturally while keeping energy use minimal.
Solar panels installed on the shelter generate electricity to power fans, lights and a misting system. The roof is coated with solar reflective paint that bounces sunlight away instead of absorbing it. Beneath the roof, insulation prevents heat from building up inside the structure.
The shelter combines solar panels, reflective roofing, insulation, wet khus curtains, and a wind tower to stay up to 8°C cooler than outside.
The shelter also uses traditional cooling principles. Wet khus (vetiver) curtains cool the air as it passes through them, while a wind tower helps push hot air out and draw cooler air inside.
Together, these features create a space that feels noticeably lighter, more breathable and comfortable even during peak summer afternoons.
Built under the Heat Action Plan by Mahila Housing Trust and Jodhpur Nagar Nigam, the cooling shelter is more than just an architectural experiment. It is a public health intervention.
The space can accommodate around 40 to 45 people at a time and provides access to drinking water, ORS and basic first aid. For someone experiencing exhaustion after hours in the heat, a few minutes in a cooler environment can make a significant difference.
Rethinking how cities respond to heat
Heatwaves are no longer rare events; they are becoming a part of everyday life across India. As cities search for solutions, Jodhpur’s cooling shelter offers an important reminder: innovation does not always mean building something more complex.
Delivery riders, street vendors, seniors, and daily wage workers find shade, water, and first aid in a space built for public health and comfort.
Sometimes it means revisiting old wisdom, combining it with modern technology and designing it for the people.
In a warming world, the future may not depend on more cooling machines alone but on creating spaces where comfort, sustainability and community can exist together.
