In most Indian homes today, the first thing the family does on returning home is reach for the AC remote. The second thing is to debate the temperature. 24? 22? Someone always wants 18.

But across the country, a small number of homeowners have managed to escape this household sport altogether. They live in houses that simply don't need an AC. The remote, if it exists, gathers dust. The bedrooms cool themselves. The courtyards do the work that compressors do elsewhere.

This week, let's take a look at four such homes.

Over 40°C Outside, But This Gujarat House Stays Cool Without AC – Here’s How!

When the owners of Cool House in Bharuch went to architect Samira Rathod with a brief, it was almost embarrassingly simple. They wanted a home that beat the arid Gujarat heat without an AC. Samira designed a south-facing, "introverted" house with a channel running from the northeast to the southwest so the wind could pass........

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