Background

Extreme heat is rapidly becoming one of the most pressing challenges in Southeast Asia, driven by the combined pressures of urbanisation, climate change, and rising energy demand. The urban population in the region is expected to grow significantly, increasing exposure to prolonged periods of extreme temperatures, with some cities projected to experience up to 120 days annually above 35°C by mid-century. These risks are intensified in dense urban areas, where heat-retaining materials, limited green spaces, and inadequate ventilation contribute to severe indoor heat conditions.

The impacts are highly unequal. Vulnerable groups, including women, children, the elderly, and low-income communities, are disproportionately affected, often facing unsafe indoor temperatures or working in heat-exposed environments. At the same time, increasing reliance on mechanical air conditioning is driving up electricity demand, greenhouse gas emissions, and pressure on energy systems, reinforcing a cycle that exacerbates climate warming.

Passive cooling presents a practical, cost-effective solution to these challenges. By prioritising strategies such as natural ventilation, shading, reflective materials, thermal mass, and climate-responsive design, buildings can significantly reduce indoor temperatures and energy consumption. These approaches can lower temperatures by several degrees and reduce energy use substantially, while also offering scalable benefits at the regional level by limiting future cooling demand, reducing emissions, and lowering infrastructure costs. Importantly, passive cooling provides an accessible pathway to improve thermal comfort for populations that currently lack adequate cooling solutions.

About the Roadmap

The ASEAN Passive Cooling Strategies Roadmap has been developed through a collaborative, multi-stage process involving research, stakeholder engagement, and regional consultation. It provides a strategic framework to integrate passive cooling into policy, regulatory, and investment landscapes across the region, aligning with broader climate and energy commitments.

The roadmap translates regional heat challenges into actionable recommendations, including policy directions, financing approaches, and capacity-building pathways that can be adapted at the national level. It promotes a “Passive First” approach, encouraging building design that minimises cooling demand through orientation, envelope performance, shading, and ventilation before relying on mechanical systems.

The Launching Workshop

This Regional Launching Workshop marks the official release of the finalised ASEAN Passive Cooling Strategies Roadmap, bringing together governments, regional bodies, development partners, building professionals, and civil society to disseminate its key findings, including technology options, policy and regulatory considerations, financing mechanisms, and capacity-building needs. It facilitates structured dialogue on accelerating the integration of passive cooling into national and sub-national policy and planning frameworks across ASEAN, while mobilising multi-stakeholder commitments to support the operationalisation of the roadmap. This includes identifying national champions, implementation partners, and priority actions for each ASEAN Member State, as well as fostering continued engagement through initiatives such as the Passive Cooling Hub.

OBJECTIVES

• This workshop disseminates the key findings of the ASEAN Passive Cooling Strategies Roadmap, including technology options, policy and regulatory considerations, financing mechanisms, and capacity-building needs.

• It facilitates structured dialogue on accelerating the integration of passive cooling into national and sub-national policy and planning frameworks across ASEAN.

• It mobilises multi-stakeholder commitments to advance the operationalisation of the roadmap, including the identification of national champions, implementation partners, and priority actions for each ASEAN Member State.

• Learn more about the Passive Cooling Hub

Download the Roadmap for Extreme Heat Protection through Passive Cooling in ASEAN Region