Projects
Shade, Play & Rest
Delhi
2025-2026
A long-term pilot project to co-create design responses for summer heat
Rest in shade, water & trees - we all need these for relief from the sweltering summer heat! What if we also add a bit of play & learning to some respite from heat?
The summer heat in Delhi is scorching, especially in recent years due to climate change, and the most affected are homeless families and children. So our team collaborated with the national NGO Housing and Land Rights Network to create shaded resting areas in homeless shelters with play based learning added.
By creating water points and relief areas for community use, the intent is to bring comfort from the ongoing impacts of climate change, through affordable and durable designs. A low-cost light-weight water kiosk was piloted in 2025 in a homeless shelter run by DUSIB in central Delhi, and more pilots were held in 2026 for shade and seating in two shelters run by DUSIB in North-West Delhi, learning from which we hope to advocate for more such shades and spaces across the city.
A participatory design & iterative building process led to identification of spots, materials and potential designs at both the shelters - from fire testing the canvas with cigarettes to deciding most popular learning based games by voting.
Delhi summers are scorching, putting daily workers and homeless people at high risk of heat stroke and severe dehydration. So we piloted a low-cost & easy-build “pyaao” or water kiosk at a “ren basera” or a homeless shelter in Old Delhi built DIY by our own team and the local Shelter Management team.
The Team
Swati Janu
Lakshit Pathak
Naman Loomba
Timpika Wetpanya
Riyesh Patil
Partners
