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Dr. Nikhil Kumar

Assistant Professor
Department of Architecture, Planning and Design
Email:
nikhil.apd@iitbhu.ac.in
Phone(s):
8345982908
Website:
Area of Interest:
Health and the Built Environment, Decarbonisation of the Built Environment, Urban Morphology and Climate, Building Simulation, Thermal Comfort, Energy Efficiency

I completed my PhD at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay under the guidance of Ronita Bardhan, where my research focused on passive design strategies and natural ventilation in affordable housing in Mumbai. I later pursued postdoctoral research at the BUESA Lab, Hiroshima University under Tetsu Kubota, working on sustainable built environments and thermal resilience.

Currently, I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture, Planning and Design at Indian Institute of Technology (BHU). My research interests include building simulation, thermal comfort, passive design, building materials, and neighbourhood-scale environmental performance. My work aims to advance climate-responsive and data-driven solutions for healthier and more liveable cities.

I am also establishing the City Liveability Lab (CLL), which focuses on improving urban liveability through research on thermal resilience, indoor environmental quality, sustainable housing, and urban environmental performance.

2016-2022 Ph.D: Centre for Urban Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India 

Passive Design Strategies for Improving Natural Ventilation in Affordable Housing of Global South: A Case of Mumbai.

2013-2015 Master’s in City Planning (MCP): Department of Architecture and Regional Planning, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, India.

2008-2013 Bachelor’s in Architecture (BArch): Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

OrganizationDurationLocationPosition
Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) VaranasiAugust 2024  -     CurrentVaranasi, IndiaAssistant Professor
Hiroshima UniversityApril 2023      -      July 2024Hiroshima, JapanAssistant Professor
Hiroshima UniversityApril 2022      -      March 2023Hiroshima, JapanPostdoctoral Resercher
Indian Institute of Technology KharagpurJuly 2015        -      May 2016Kharagpur, IndiaProject Consultant

List of Publications

  • N. Kumar, T. Kubota, Y. Tominaga, M. Shirzadi, R. Bardhan, CFD simulations of wind-induced ventilation in apartment buildings with vertical voids: Effects of pilotis and wind fin on ventilation performance, Build. Environ. 194 (2021) 107666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.107666
  • N. Kumar, R. Bardhan, T. Kubota, Y. Tominaga, M. Shirzadi, Parametric study on vertical void configurations for improving ventilation performance in the mid-rise apartment building. Building and Environment, 215(2022), 108969. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.108969
  • Dulis, D., Sani, H. A., Kubota, T., Kumar, N., & Bhattacharya, S. P. (2026). Assessing the relationship between quality of life and household energy consumption among low-income groups in India: A comparative study of Delhi and Kharagpur. Sustainability, 18(8), 3669. MDPI.
  • Mukhopadhyay, S., Kumar, N., Kubota, T., Bhattacharya, S. P., Sani, H. A., & Asawa, T. (2026). Seasonal changes in indoor thermal conditions and thermal comfort in urban houses in the warm–humid climate of India. Buildings, 16(2), 382. MDPI.

 

List of conferences 

2026

  • Dulis, D., Sani, H., Kumar, N., Kubota, T., & Bhattacharya, S. P. (2026). Household energy consumption and quality of life among low-income groups in India: A comparative study of Delhi and Kharagpur. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science.

2025

  • Kubota, T., Kumar, N., Sani, H. A., & Alfata, M. N. F. (2025). Proposal of a novel ventilation strategy for affordable double-loaded apartment buildings in the hot and humid climates. ISHVAC 2025, Tokyo, Japan. 
  • Kubota, T., Kumar, N., Sani, H. A., & Alfata, M. N. F. (2025). Thermal comfort evaluation of a novel ventilation strategy for affordable double-loaded apartment buildings in the full-scale experimental house. IEQ 2025, Quebec, Canada. 
  • Mukhopadhyay, S., Kawajiri, K., Kumar, N., Dulis, Kubota, T., Bhattacharya, S. P., & Sani, H. A. (2025). Seasonal changes of adaptive behaviours for improving thermal comfort in urban houses: A case of Kharagpur, India. Healthy Buildings 2025, Hyderabad, India. 
  • Dulis, D., Sani, H. A., Kumar, N., Kubota, T., & Bhattacharya, S. P. (2025). Household energy consumption and quality of life among low-income groups in India: A comparative study of Delhi and Kharagpur. SBE25, Tokyo, Japan. 
  • Kubota, T., Koda, R., & Kumar, N. (2025). Indoor thermal comfort in public apartments in the hot-humid climate of Indonesia with change of material compositions. AIJ 2025, Tokyo, Japan. 
  • Mukhopadhyay, S., Kawajiri, K., Kumar, N., Kubota, T., Sani, H., & Asawa, T. (2025). Seasonal changes of adaptive behaviors for thermal comfort in urban houses in Kharagpur, India. AIJ 2025, Tokyo, Japan. 
  • Dulis, D., Sani, H., Kumar, N., & Kubota, T. (2025). Household energy consumption and its linkages with quality of life in low-income groups of India: Case study of Delhi and Kharagpur. AIJ 2025, Tokyo, Japan.
  • Jaiswal, S., Kubota, T., & Kumar, N. (2025). Impacts of westernization in the evolution of contemporary housing design in India: A literature review. AIJ 2025, Tokyo, Japan. 

2024

  • Kubota, T., Shima, H., Sani, H. A., Kumar, N., Kitagawa, H., Asawa, T., & Alfata, M. N. F. (2024). Effects of closed vertical void on natural ventilation in double-loaded apartment buildings. AIVC 2024, Dublin, Ireland. https://www.aivc.org/resource/effects-closed-vertical-void-natural-ventilation-double-loaded-apartment-building?volume=39786
  • Sani, H. A., Shima, H., Kumar, N., Kubota, T., & Asawa, T. (2024). Effects of closed-vertical void on ventilation performance in a double-loaded apartment building in Indonesia: A field measurement. 14th ISAIA Conference, Kyoto, Japan. 
  • Hotak, N., Sani, H., Kumar, N., & Kubota, T. (2024). Classification and cost-benefit analysis of passive cooling strategies for affordable housing in developing countries. 14th ISAIA Conference, Kyoto, Japan.
  • Jaiswal, S., Kubota, T., & Kumar, N. (2024). Mapping the parameters of westernization in lifestyle and houses across Asian countries: A bibliometric exploration. 14th ISAIA Conference, Kyoto, Japan. 
  • Dulis, D., Buxton, E. A., Kumar, N., Sani, H. A., Kubota, T., Bhattacharya, S. P., & Nakano, Y. (2024). Factors influencing quality of life and energy usage pattern among low-income groups in India: A case study of Delhi and Kharagpur. 14th ISAIA Conference, Kyoto, Japan. 
  • Mukhopadhyay, S., Kumar, N., Kawajiri, K., Kubota, T., Bhattacharya, S. P., Asawa, T., & Nakano, Y. (2024). Behavioral adaptations for improving thermal comfort in residential buildings in hot-humid climate: A case study of Kharagpur, India. 14th ISAIA Conference, Kyoto, Japan. 
  • Koda, R., Kubota, T., Kumar, N., & Alvarez, D. (2024). Evaluation of indoor thermal comfort in public apartments using woods in the hot-humid climate of Indonesia. 14th ISAIA Conference, Kyoto, Japan.
  • Kumar, N., Sani, H., Kubota, T., & Alfata, M. N. F. (2024). Field measurement on natural ventilation strategies in a midrise apartment building with vertical void in Indonesia to improve indoor thermal comfort. 14th ISAIA Conference, Kyoto, Japan. 

2023

  • Prasetya, A., Kubota, T., Hotak, N., & Kumar, N. (2023). Proposal of base models for low carbon affordable apartments in Indonesia. AIJ 2023, Kyoto, Japan.
  • Buxton, E., Kumar, N., & Kubota, T. (2023). Factors affecting the quality of life in middle- and low-income settlements of Delhi. AIJ 2023, Kyoto, Japan.
  • Kubota, T., Kumar, N., Kitagawa, H., Maeda, T., & Asawa, T. (2023). Field experiment on effects of vertical void on natural ventilation in double-loaded apartments. AIJ 2023, Kyoto, Japan.
  • 牛塚功大, 平山由佳理, 河本陸, 浅輪貴史, 久保田徹, & Kumar, N. (2023). 北川遼ボイドを有する集合住宅における自然通風の評価. AIJ 2023, Kyoto, Japan.
  • Kumar, N., Kitagawa, H., Alfata, M. N. F., Maeda, T., Nakahara, D., Kubota, T., Asawa, T., Hirayama, Y., & Trihamdani, A. R. (2023). Experimental study on vertical void for improving natural ventilation in midrise double-loaded apartments. IAQVEC 2023, Tokyo, Japan.

2022

  • Kumar, N., Bardhan, R., Kubota, T., Tominaga, Y., & Shirzadi, M. (2022). Parametric study on vertical void configurations for improving natural ventilation in double-loaded apartments. Proceedings of COBEE 2022, Montreal, Canada.

2021

  • Sarkar, A., Kumar, N., Jana, A., & Bardhan, R. (2021). Association between built-environment and livability: Case of Mumbai slum rehabs. Proceedings of ICUSE, Mumbai, IIT Bombay. In Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering (Vol. 121, pp. 63–74). Springer.
  • Kumar, N., & Bardhan, R. (2021). Optimizing building fenestration design for daylight and energy savings in low-income housing: Case of Mumbai, India. Proceedings of ICUSE, Mumbai, IIT Bombay. In Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering (Vol. 121, pp. 447–458). Springer.
  • Kumar, N., Gupta, M., & Jana, A. (2021). ICT and its use in solid waste collection systems for route optimization. Proceedings of ICUSE, Mumbai, IIT Bombay. In Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering (Vol. 121, pp. 51–61). Springer.

2019

  • Kumar, N., Wang, Z., Kubota, T., Tominaga, Y., & Bardhan, R. (2019). Wind tunnel experiments on ventilation effect of void spaces for low-cost apartments in the tropics. Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Wind Engineering, Beijing, China.

2018

  • Kumar, N., Kubota, T., Bardhan, R., & Tominaga, Y. (2018). CFD analysis of airflow in voids for better cross ventilation in midrise buildings in hot and humid climates. Proceedings of the 16th International Building Performance Simulation Association Conference, Rome, Italy.

Research Projects

  1. The project "Optimization of thermal comfort in residential buildings: a computational fluid dynamics study on natural ventilation and air conditioning usage" was funded by the IIT BHU SEED Grant with a financial outlay of ₹25 lakhs, started in October 2024-2026 under the PI Nikhil Kumar.
  2. The project "Crowd Management & Heat Stress Mitigation in Temple Precincts of Varanasi” was funded by the MHT  with a financial outlay of ₹13 lakhs, started in January 2026-2028 under the PI Nikhil Kumar.

 

Consultancy Projects

  1. Draft Model building bye-laws of the Cantonment area of Varanasi 2025, Completed, Co PI
  2. Draft Model building bye-laws of the Cantonment area of Prayagraj 2025, Completed, Co PI
  3. Draft Model building bye-laws of the Cantonment area of Ayodhya 2025, Completed, Co PI
  4. Rotary Design in Cantonment area of Varanasi 2026, Completed, Co PI

Simulation Workstation

  • Intel ® Xenon ® w5-2465X (32 CPUs) ~3.1Ghz, 128 GB RAM, 16 GB Graphics

IAQ measurement Devices 

  • Testo Lux Probe (2), Hot Wire Probe (1), Co2 Probe (2)
  • Testo 440 & 400 Data Logger (1)
  • Testo 175H1 Temperature and Humidity Datalogger (5)
  • Extech 42280A Temperature and Humidity Datalogger (4)
  • Extech VPC260 6-channel Particle Counter (2)
  • Graphtech GL 860 (4)