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25 Jul 2025
7 Min Read
Dr Praveena Nair Sivasankaran (Academic Contributor), Nellie Chan (Editor)
In a world grappling with rising temperatures, the heat isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s quietly eroding the well-being of outdoor workers across Southeast Asia. While the physical effects of heat stress are well-documented, its psychological toll often goes unnoticed. But what if design could help restore both body and mind?
At Taylor’s University, Dr Praveena Nair Sivasankaran is leading a research initiative that bridges engineering, climate, and mental health. Her project, Cooling the Heat, Healing the Mind (CHHM), investigates how climate-responsive environments can alleviate the physical and emotional strain of extreme heat. By examining lived experiences and translating them into design solutions, she’s building a framework for more humane, climate-resilient urban spaces.
Dr Praveena is a senior lecturer at the School of Engineering, where she focuses on sustainable systems, climate-responsive design, and the intersection of engineering with mental well-being. Her latest work addresses a pressing but often overlooked issue: how environmental heat impacts mental well-being—especially for outdoor workers.
While climate adaptation is typically viewed through a technical lens, her research reframes it through a human one. Drawing on her engineering expertise and advocacy for mental health, she explores how thoughtful design can not only reduce heat exposure but also support emotional resilience.
We spoke to her about the story behind her research, the challenges she’s faced, and how this work could shape the way we build in a warming world.
Q: Can you explain the core focus of your research?
A: It’s a project that explores how extreme heat affects not just our bodies, but our mental well-being—especially for outdoor workers like those in the construction sector. We’re looking at how sustainable design and climate-responsive environments can reduce physical heat exposure while supporting psychological resilience. In short, we aim to cool the body and calm the mind through thoughtful design.
Q: What inspired you to take it on?
A: It began with a simple observation: workers in Malaysia toiling under the direct sun for hours, often without shade or mental health support. As someone working across clean technology and mental wellness, I felt a strong urge to address this invisible suffering. We often discuss climate change in numbers but rarely in lived experiences—especially the psychological toll of heat, such as fatigue, agitation, and emotional disconnection. This project grew out of a desire to humanise climate action by making space for those experiences.
Q: Can you share some examples of the design interventions you’re exploring?
A: Some of the interventions being explored include portable shaded tarpaulin structures, designated cooling breaks, and hydration prompts displayed through signage at work zones. We’re also looking at visual and behavioural cues—such as mood check-in cards or simple reflective tools—to support emotional regulation during heat exposure. The goal is to co-design these solutions with workers and site managers so they remain context-specific, low-cost, and easy to integrate into daily routines.
Q: Have you discovered anything unexpected in the course of this project?
A: One surprising insight has been how normalised discomfort has become for many workers. Some reported symptoms like mood swings, fatigue, and loss of focus, but didn’t associate them with heat exposure. This shows how we’ve failed to connect environmental conditions with emotional states—a gap this research seeks to close.
Q: Why is this work especially timely now?
A: With global temperatures rising and heatwaves becoming more frequent, this work is extremely timely. Urban centres in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia are experiencing escalating heat indexes. Meanwhile, outdoor workers continue to be exposed with little structural support. There’s an urgent need to rethink how we design workspaces and urban areas with both climate and mental well-being in mind.
Q: What has been most challenging about conducting this research?
A: Funding remains a key challenge, especially for interdisciplinary work that doesn’t sit neatly within conventional categories. Another challenge has been engaging with workers in a way that is sensitive and respectful of their daily realities—especially when discussing mental health, which still carries stigma in many communities.
Q: Are there common misconceptions you’ve had to overcome?
A: One major misconception is that heat-related problems are purely physical—sweating, dehydration, or sunburn. But heat also influences mental states: it reduces patience, lowers cognitive function, and amplifies stress. Another misunderstanding is that climate adaptation is always large-scale or expensive; sometimes it starts with something as simple as shade, airflow, or break routines.
Q: What do you hope this research will lead to, in terms of real-world applications?
A: We hope to develop guidelines and frameworks that can inform policies and infrastructure design—making outdoor work safer, more sustainable, and more humane. We also envision the development of a Smart Climate-Health Monitoring Ecosystem (SCHEME) that allows for real-time tracking of both heat exposure and mental well-being. Ultimately, the goal is to influence how we build cities: not just to be energy-efficient, but also emotionally intelligent.
Q: How could this influence design practices in Malaysia and beyond?
A: This research invites a shift in design thinking—from building for function to building for human resilience. By highlighting the psychological toll of heat, it challenges architects, planners, and engineers to embed emotional well-being into the fabric of their designs. In Malaysia, this could influence how construction sites, transit systems, and public spaces are planned, with greater emphasis on microclimate management, accessible shade, and restorative zones. Regionally, it positions Malaysia as a thought leader in climate-empathic design for tropical economies—offering adaptable models for other heat-stressed, rapidly urbanising countries across Southeast Asia and the Global South.
Q: What role do you see institutions or governments playing in making this a reality?
A: Institutions and governments play a pivotal role in turning research into real-world impact. The first step is to recognise heat stress as both a physical and psychological occupational hazard, and to incorporate mental wellness indicators into workplace safety guidelines. Ministries of Health, Human Resources, and Works can collaborate on cross-sectoral policies that mandate shaded rest areas, scheduled cooling breaks, and mental health awareness initiatives in high-heat industries. Funding support for interdisciplinary research—especially at the intersection of climate and well-being—will also be critical to scale context-sensitive interventions. Perhaps most importantly, governments can lead public campaigns to destigmatise mental health in blue-collar sectors—ensuring that care and climate adaptation go hand in hand.
Q: What drives you to continue working in this space?
A: I’m motivated by the people this research is for. Seeing workers push through unbearable conditions with no support makes me feel this work is essential. If research can lead to even one improved policy or design intervention that makes a worker’s day more bearable, then it’s worth it.
Q: How does your background shape the way you approach this research?
A: My background in engineering makes me solution-oriented and systems-focused, while my experience in mental health advocacy reminds me to centre the human story. Teaching has shown me how important it is to make complex topics accessible. This blend allows me to approach the problem from both a technical and compassionate lens.
Q: Is there a defining moment from the project that stays with you?
A: There was a moment when I stood under the harsh midday sun on a construction site visit. It wasn’t long—just a few minutes—but the heat felt almost punishing. My thoughts became slower, my body tense, and I couldn’t imagine functioning clearly in those conditions for hours. That moment crystallised something for me: heat doesn't just wear down the body—it dulls the mind and spirit. It made me reflect on how often we normalise suffering in the name of work. That insight continues to drive this project: we must design for human dignity, not just efficiency.
Dr Praveena’s work is a reminder that climate adaptation must be as much about people as it is about infrastructure. By spotlighting the psychological toll of heat and offering practical, compassionate solutions, her research challenges us to think differently about the future of work, design, and wellness.
Next steps for her team involve co-developing assessment tools to measure the emotional and cognitive impacts of heat, identifying low-cost, context-sensitive design interventions, and collaborating with industry and government stakeholders to support meaningful implementation.
As cities grow hotter and the climate crisis deepens, Dr Praveena’s insights could help reshape how we build environments that protect not just productivity, but humanity.
