Congratulations to Saitabau Kumary, a third-year PhD researcher in the group, on winning the Heat Adaptive Architecture Design Competition, organised by the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre in partnership with IFRC and the Global Disaster Preparedness Center.
Supervised by Professor Ronita Bardhan, Saitabau’s research investigates how standardised urban development patterns, often described as the “McDonaldisation” of cities, are intensifying thermal inequities across the Global South.
His winning project on heat-resilient schools demonstrates how design can act as a powerful tool for climate adaptation, integrating local context, lived experience, and equity into built environment solutions.
This achievement reflects the group’s commitment to advancing research at the intersection of climate, health, and sustainable design, with real-world impact.