Bengaluru -The innovative portable animal shelter, which was recently exhibited in one of the largest cities in India, shows how intelligent, cheap opportunities to help workers to escape the warmth in a country that is particularly susceptible to extreme temperatures of climate change.
The Neralu-Tierheim, the winner of a design competition in the southern city of Bengaluru, was exhibited at the event of Sweat and Concrete 2025 together with a theater performance on the workers outdoors and exhibitions on heat-related studies at the end of May. The organizer Kanishk Kabiraj said the goal of the exhibition is to raise awareness of how extreme warmth endanger the health and a living of the country's outdoor workforce. In a change in India, there has been a stronger awareness of climate -related topics in recent years.
“We think it is important not only to speak conceptually, but also try to create models and proof of concept,” said Kabiraj.
Neralu, which means in Kannada, which is most commonly spoken in Bengaluru in Bengaluru, consists of a light frame that supports a shadow, a bank and a angled slats that are operated by manual straps for fans. The shelter costs about $ 175 and is made of metal, fiber-reinforced plastic and plywood. With a weight of around 15 kilograms (33 pounds), protection for up to four people on outer walls can be installed and easily dismantled and transported on the small motor vehicles, which are known as TUK-TUKs.
“This type of protection will be helpful for people like us who work outdoors,” said Madhe Gowda, a 62-year-old fruit seller who came to the exhibition. “I am selling fruits from my PushCart all day. If it is really hot, my fruits catch and it will be difficult for me to move a lot.”
Neralu defeated 19 further submissions in a competition for the design of Heatheiz accommodation for outdoor outdoor workers organized in Bengaluru last year. Antricitya Diggavi, one of the architects behind the design, said that it was inspired to speak to workers outdoors and watch them.
“You have taken your own provisional measures with material such as beach umbrellas and plane leaves,” said Diggavi.
The designers said that the Neralu animal home can be made from recycled and new material from the auto industry or other companies. They said the design had plenty of space to modify according to local needs and available materials.
“We wanted something simple, affordable and quick assembly,” said Sagar Kandal, another of the designers.
They said they received interest from both public and private organizations who would like to buy and install these animal shelters in the city. The Indian meteorological department has determined that the number of extreme heat increases days in the city, which, according to planning experts, is probably due to climate change and rapid urbanization.
And with an increasing number of Indian countries that design heat and climate change adjustment plans, she said that the shelter can work in any heat-resistant city that requires inexpensive solutions.
Tamanna Dalal, a researcher about the heating policy at the Think Tank Sustainable Futures Collaborative based in New Delhi, said the way in which cities are built in India leads to urban heating islands, parts of cities with higher average temperatures than the surrounding areas. Dalal added accommodation that take into account local climate factors and can be easily replicated if the heat deteriorates in the coming years.
India is one of the most endangered countries in the world for climate effects, since floods, heat waves and cyclones have led to 80,000 deaths and economic losses of $ 180 billion from 1993 to 2022. According to the international work organization, India can lose up to 34 million jobs by 2030 due to the increasing heat.
P. Kumaravel, a 42-year-old construction worker who took place at the event for over two days at the end of May, welcomed the animal shelter's idea, but said that good public transport and reliable health insurance are what workers like the most.
“This year's heat was really bad. I had rashes and pimples. We rest under a tree when we can, but we are paid for the work so as not to rest,” he said. “Protection is helpful, but it's not enough,” he said.
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