“Heat Adaptation in Practice: Community-Facing Approaches to Extreme Heat in Singapore and India”

with Veerappan Swaminathan, CEO of SL2 Group, Singapore

Date/Time: Tuesday, August 11, 6pm – 7 pm Pacific Time

Abstract:

Extreme heat is an increasingly urgent climate adaptation challenge, especially for older adults and heat-vulnerable households living in dense urban and tropical environments. While heat resilience is often discussed through the lens of policy, urban planning, or public health, effective adaptation also depends on practical socio-technical systems that can work in real homes, care facilities, and communities.

This talk will share lessons from two ongoing community-facing projects: StayCool in Singapore, which combines heat and humidity sensors, physiological wearables, an app, heat alerts, and trained volunteers to support vulnerable households; and a heat adaptation project at Muthiyor Nanban Home in Tamil Nadu, India, which uses site assessment, environmental measurement, stakeholder engagement, and targeted interventions to improve thermal comfort for elderly residents. The talk will highlight implementation lessons for engineers interested in climate resilience, sensing, community systems, and adaptation in practice.