Large commercial complexes, textile shops, and jewellery showrooms blast cold air onto the high street in T. Nagar, Chennai, where the average summer temperature is over 35 °C.
Shoppers dart from one air-conditioned building to another. But these ACs also cause an urban heat-island effect, making it one of the top 20 most vulnerable spots exhibiting significantly higher temperatures than other areas in Chennai, according to Deena Hari Krishna, project manager, Auroville Consulting, a U.N.-backed centre advising on policies and sustainable practices.
To mitigate heat, buildings here may require passive cooling and ventilation using mechanical fans, which are designed to suck out hot air; operational advisories to set AC temperatures between 24 °C and 26 °C; and introducing energy efficient cooling systems. However, mitigating heat in T. Nagar may look completely different from other localities, he said.
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