At Elemental, we recognise our responsibility as architects to design buildings that respond meaningfully to a changing climate. Today, environmental performance is no longer an aspiration, but a fundamental part of good design.

Our research explores how the buildings we have designed over the years perform post-construction, transforming scientific evidence into practical design strategies that enhance climate-responsiveness, occupant wellbeing and long-term building performance.

We believe that meaningful progress must be backed by measurable evidence, not assumptions or greenwashing. By evaluating the real-world performance of our completed projects, we are able to understand what works, identify opportunities for improvement, and apply these insights to shape better buildings in the future.

Why We Research

To close the performance-gap

The discrepancy between a building's intended performance and its measured operational performance is referred to as the performance gap. Closing this gap requires rigorous post-occupancy monitoring, performance evaluation, and evidence-based research to validate design assumptions, quantify their effectiveness, and inform future design decisions.

Architects and designers often incorporate passive design strategies based on established practice or precedent, assuming they will achieve the desired environmental performance. For example, deep verandahs are widely used for solar shading, yet the minimum depth required to effectively prevent direct solar gains is rarely quantified during the design process. Similar assumptions exist for many other passive design interventions.

To build a better evidence-base for local climates

Over time, this body of research will contribute to a deeper understanding of how buildings perform across varied climatic zones, enabling more informed, evidence-based approaches to architecture that improve environmental performance, occupant comfort, and long-term resilience.

Much of the research that informs contemporary building design has been developed in temperate climates, with comparatively limited evidence available for India's diverse climatic regions. As a result, designers often rely on international benchmarks or generalised guidelines that may not accurately reflect local environmental conditions, construction practices, or patterns of occupancy.

By systematically studying building performance, local climate, microclimatic conditions, material behaviour, and passive design strategies, we seek to generate robust, context-specific insights that can directly inform future design decisions.

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To promote climate-responsive design

A thorough understanding of local climatic conditions and building physics enables designers to adapt architectural elements appropriately, balancing aesthetic aspirations with environmental performance. This approach ensures that buildings achieve long-term durability, occupant comfort, and energy efficiency without compromising architectural expression.

The increasing adoption of international and non-vernacular architectural styles in India has introduced a wider range of design aesthetics. While this can enrich the built environment, design elements developed for different climatic contexts often perform poorly when applied without adaptation. For instance, Mediterranean inspired roof forms may offer strong visual appeal but are unsuitable for Kerala's warm-humid climate. Their comparatively shallow overhangs provide limited protection against wind-driven rain, increasing the likelihood of moisture ingress and facade deterioration. In addition, inadequate shading allows greater incident solar radiation to reach the building envelope, contributing to higher heat gains and reduced indoor thermal comfort.

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For human-centric design

This philosophy underpins every aspect of our research. From thermal comfort and daylight to indoor air quality, material selection, and climate-responsive strategies, each area of investigation ultimately serves a single purpose: to create homes that support healthier, more comfortable, and more enjoyable lives for the people who live in them.

At the heart of every project is the people who will inhabit the space- not just on the day it is completed, but throughout the many stages of their lives. Occupants experience a building more intimately than anyone else, and its design has a lasting influence on their health, comfort, wellbeing, and quality of life. Human-centric design is not about limiting aspirations or rejecting client preferences. Rather, it is about understanding how individual needs, lifestyles, and design ambitions can be integrated with evidence-based principles that promote comfort, safety, accessibility, and environmental quality. Through careful design and performance analysis, aesthetic and functional goals can be achieved without compromising occupant wellbeing.

Research Framework

Baseline Data Development and Performance Benchmarking

To develop the baseline datasets and research inputs required for post-occupancy evaluation of the identified projects.

Funding and Partnerships

To establish funding partnerships and collaborative relationships that will enable the project's subsequent implementation phases.

On-site Monitoring and Research

On-site data collection and research activities focused on measuring actual building performance, gathering occupant feedback, and evaluating operational outcomes against the performance benchmarks established during the preliminary research phase.

Findings and Knowledge Dissemination

Analysis, synthesis, and dissemination activities focused on compiling project findings, publishing research outputs, and sharing lessons learned with industry, academia, and stakeholders.

Research Themes

Energy Modelling is the process of creating a digital representation of a building to predict how much energy it will use before it is built. By simulating heating, cooling, lighting and appliance usage under different weather conditions, we can compare design options, identify opportunities for energy savings, and make informed decisions that improve efficiency, reduce running costs, and lower carbon emissions.

Thermal Comfort is about creating indoor environments where people feel comfortable throughout the year without relying excessively on air conditioning or heating. Our research examines how temperature, humidity, air movement, solar radiation and occupant behaviour interact to influence comfort, enabling us to design spaces that remain naturally pleasant while consuming less energy.

Passive Design harnesses natural environmental conditions to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures. Building orientation, shading, natural ventilation, daylight, thermal mass and landscaping all work together to reduce dependence on mechanical cooling and artificial lighting. We study how these strategies perform in different Indian climates to determine which solutions are most effective for each context.

The building envelope-including walls, roofs, windows and floors=act as the barrier between the indoor and outdoor environment. Its design has a significant influence on heat gain, heat loss, daylight and energy use. Through simulation and performance analysis, we optimise the building envelope to improve comfort, reduce cooling demand, and enhance the overall efficiency and durability of the building.

U-value and Residential Envelope Transmittance Value (RETV) are key indicators used to assess the thermal performance of a building's external envelope. While U-value evaluates the insulating performance of individual building elements, RETV considers the combined effect of walls, windows, glazing and solar heat gain to quantify how much heat enters the building through the envelope. By analysing these metrics, we can optimise facade design, material selection and shading strategies to improve comfort and reduce cooling energy demand.

Qualitative Studies Buildings are ultimately designed for the people who use them. Through occupant interviews, questionnaires and user surveys, we gather first-hand feedback on how people experience their homes in everyday life. These insights help us understand how design decisions influence comfort, usability, wellbeing and overall satisfaction, while identifying opportunities for improvement that may not be evident through technical analysis alone.

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) refers to the overall quality of the indoor environment and its impact on occupant health, comfort and wellbeing. It encompasses factors such as thermal conditions, air quality, lighting, acoustics and ventilation. By evaluating these elements together, we can better understand how buildings support healthy and comfortable living environments.

Thermal Comfort Surveys Technical measurements alone cannot determine whether occupants actually feel comfortable. Thermal comfort surveys capture people's perceptions of temperature, humidity, air movement and overall indoor comfort under real operating conditions. Combining this feedback with monitored environmental data allows us to evaluate whether a building is performing as intended and identify opportunities to improve occupant comfort.

Climate-Based Daylight Modelling Visual comfort is influenced by the quality and distribution of natural and artificial light within a space. Our research uses climate-based daylight modelling to simulate daylight conditions throughout the year using local weather data. This enables us to understand how daylight varies across different seasons and times of day, helping us optimise building orientation, window design, shading devices and interior layouts to create naturally well-lit spaces while reducing reliance on artificial lighting.

Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI) Not all daylight is beneficial. Too little daylight can increase dependence on artificial lighting, while excessive daylight can cause glare and overheating. Useful Daylight Illuminance measures the percentage of time daylight levels within a space fall within a comfortable and useful range for everyday activities. By analysing UDI, we can design spaces that maximise the benefits of natural light while maintaining occupant comfort and energy efficiency.

Glare Studies Excessive brightness or direct sunlight can create visual discomfort, making it difficult to work, read or simply enjoy a space. Our glare studies assess when and where glare is likely to occur and evaluate the effectiveness of design strategies such as shading devices, glazing specifications and window placement. By balancing daylight with visual comfort, we create indoor environments that are pleasant, functional and supportive of occupant wellbeing.

Whole Life Carbon Assessment A building's environmental impact extends far beyond the energy it uses during operation. Whole Life Carbon Assessments (WLCA) evaluate carbon emissions throughout the entire lifecycle of a building- from the extraction and manufacture of materials to construction, operation, maintenance, replacement, and eventual demolition or reuse. This helps identify opportunities to reduce carbon emissions at every stage of a building's life.

Material Optimisation The materials chosen for a building significantly influence its environmental impact, durability and performance. Our research compares different construction materials and assemblies to understand their embodied carbon, thermal performance, longevity and practicality. By optimising material selection, we aim to reduce environmental impact while maintaining high standards of performance, quality and occupant comfort.