Long before “climate tech” became a buzzword, Indian homes had already mastered it. Across villages and towns, houses breathed with courtyards at their centre, verandahs wrapping their edges, and breezeways carrying air through every corner. These features weren’t ornamental. They were functional, elegant responses to India’s climate.
In a time when modern homes are burdened by air-conditioners and air-purifiers, it’s worth asking: did our ancestors already know the secret to sustainable comfort?
Designs That Breathed with Nature
The courtyard was more than an architectural choice. At the heart of homes in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, or Bengal, it served as the lungs of the house. Sunlight filtered in, fresh air circulated freely, and families gathered in a space that changed character with the seasons.
Verandahs stretched along the periphery, offering shade from harsh sun and shelter from monsoon rains. Breezeways aligned homes with the natural direction of wind, turning airflow into a cooling system. Together, these elements created microclimates — homes that cooled themselves, ventilated themselves, and offered comfort without machines.
This wasn’t luxury. It was common sense.
The Cost of Forgetting
As cities grew, courtyards gave way to parking lots, verandahs shrank into balconies, and breezeways disappeared into concrete corridors. High-rises prioritised density over design, and comfort was outsourced to air-conditioners, water coolers, and artificial lighting.
The result: homes that were technically advanced but environmentally exhausting. Cooling costs soared, air quality declined, and the sense of harmony between inside and outside was lost.
What we forgot is now returning — not as nostalgia, but as necessity.
Climate Tech Before Its Time
Today’s architects and sustainability experts speak of passive cooling, cross-ventilation, and biophilic design. Yet these are not new ideas. They are rediscoveries of principles that Indian homes lived by for centuries.
Courtyards naturally reduced temperatures by up to 5–7 degrees in the peak of summer. Verandahs doubled as social spaces and insulators. Breezeways meant that homes needed less energy and less machinery. In essence, traditional Indian architecture was not just aesthetic — it was efficient. It was climate tech before the phrase was ever coined.
Aranyaka and the Return of Thoughtful Design
At Aranyaka, we see design not as ornament, but as a conversation with nature. Our communities in Naugaon — Araville Farms, Twin Lakes, and Sway — take inspiration from these timeless principles.
Homes here are designed to breathe with their surroundings: wide courtyards that invite light and air, tree-lined avenues that cool naturally, and layouts that prioritise openness over confinement. By bringing these features back into modern living, we are not creating a trend. We are restoring a tradition. A way of life that was always sustainable, always premium, and always deeply Indian.
Luxury That Lasts
True luxury is not a gadget that needs replacing every few years. It is design that lasts across generations, creating comfort without cost and beauty without burden.
Courtyards, verandahs, and breezeways are not relics of the past. They are blueprints for the future. As NCR residents and families across India reimagine their homes, these original climate technologies remind us that the most advanced solutions are often the most timeless.