Laurie Baker1 2003 Format (2)

8/3/2019 Laurie Baker1 2003 Format (2)

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LIFE HISTORY

(March 2, 1917 April 1, 2007) British-born Indian architect

He went to India in 1945 in part as a missionary and sincethen lived and worked in India for over 50 years

. He obtained Indian citizenship in 1989 and resided inThiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kerala.

In 1990, the Government of India awarded him with thePadma Shri in recognition of his meritorious service in thefield of architecture.


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Baker studied architecture in Birmingham and

graduated in 1937, aged 20, in a period of

political unrest for Europe.

During the Second World War, he served in

the Friends Ambulance Unit in China and

Burma.[1]


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CONTRIBUTION TO INDIA

worked as an architect for an international andinterdenominational Mission dedicated to the care of thosesuffering from leprosy.

focused on converting or replacing asylums once used tohouse the ostracized sufferers of the disease - "lepers".

Used indigenous architecture and methods of these places as

means to deal with his once daunting problems.


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Initial work

Baker lived in Kerala with Doctor P.J. Chandy,

He received great encouragement and later married

his sister

while Laurie continued his architectural work and

research accommodating the medical needs of thecommunity through his constructions of various

hospitals and clinics.


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Baker sought to enrich the culture in which he

participated by promoting simplicity and

home-grown quality in his buildings.

His emphasis on cost-conscious construction,

An ideal that the Mahatma expressed as the

only means to revitalize and liberate an

impoverished India


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PRINCIPLES FOLLOWED BY

BAKER THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE


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Architectural style

Designing and building low cost, high quality,beautiful homes

Suited to or built for lower-middle to lower classclients.

Irregular, pyramid-like structures on roofs, with oneside left open and tilting into the wind.


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Brickjaliwalls, a perforatedbrick screen which utilisesnatural air movement tocool the home's interior andcreate intricate patterns oflight and shadow


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Baker's designs invariably have traditional Indiansloping roofs and terracotta Mangalore tile shingling

with gables and vents allowing rising hot air to escape.

Curved walls to enclose more volume at lower materialcost than straight walls,


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Baker was often seen rummaging through salvage heapslooking for suitable building materials, door and windowframes.

Baker's architectural method is of improvisation.

Initial drawings have only an idealistic link to the final construction,with most of the accommodations and design choices being madeon-site by the architect himself


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His respect for nature led him to let the

idiosyncrasies of a site inform his architectural

improvisations, rarely is a topography line

marred or a tree uprooted.

This saves construction cost as well, since

working around difficult site conditions is

much more cost-effective than clear-cutting


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Baker created a cooling system by placing a

high, latticed, brick wall near a pond that uses

air pressure differences to draw cool air

through the building

. His responsiveness to never-identical site

conditions quite obviously allowed for the

variegation that permeates his work.


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LOW COST CONSTRUCTION

Filler slab

Jack Arch

Advantages

20-35% Less materials

Decorative, Economical &

Reduced self-load

Almost maintenance free

25-30% Cost Reduction

Advantages

Energy saving & Eco-Friendly

compressive roofing.

Decorative & Highly

Economical

Maintenance free


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Masonry DomeAdvantagesEnergy saving eco-friendly compressive roof.

Decorative & Highly Economical for larges spans.Maintenance free

Funnicular shellAdvantagesEnergy saving eco-friendly compressive roof.Decorative & Economical

Maintenance free

LOW COST CONSTRUCTION


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Low cost constructions

Masonry Arches

AdvantagesTraditional spanning sytem.

Highly decorative & economical

Less energy requirement.


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Awards 1981: D.Litt conferred by the Royal University of

Netherlands for outstanding work in the Third World

1983: Order of the British Empire, MBE

1987: Received the first Indian National Habitat Award

1988: Received Indian Citizenship

1989: Indian Institute of Architects OutstandingArchitect of the Year

1990: Received the Padma Sri

1990: Great Master Architect of the Year

1992: UNO Habitat Award & UN Roll of Honour

1993: International Union of Architects (IUA) Award


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1993: Sir Robert Matthew Prize for Improvement of HumanSettlements

1994: People of the Year Award

1995: Awarded Doctorate from the University of Central England

1998: Awarded Doctorate from Sri Venkateshwara University 2001: Coinpar MR Kurup Endowment Award

2003: Basheer Puraskaram

2003: D.Litt from the Kerala University

2005: Kerala Government Certificate of Appreciation

2006: L-Ramp Award of Excellence 2006: Nominated from the Pritzker Prize


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The Hamlet

This is Baker's home in Trivandrum.

This is remarkable and unique house built on aplot of land along the slope of a rocky hill,with limited access to water:

However Baker's genius has created awonderful home for his family


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Material used from unconventional sources

Family eats in kitchen

Electricity wiring is not concealed


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Drawings

GROUND FLOOR

FIRST FLOOR


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STEPS LEADING UP TO

FRONT DOOR


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A VIEW FROM THE OPPOSITE

SIDE


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STEPS DIRECTLY CUT IN ROCK


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ENTRANCE HAS SMALL SITTING

AREA FOR GUESTS


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THE WALL IS DECORATED

FROM BROKEN POTTERY,PENS, GLASS


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A CALLING BELL FOR VISITORS TO ANNOUNCE

THEIR PRESENCE


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A MORNING AT HEMLET


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USE OF NATURAL LIGHT


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USE OF NATURAL LIGHT


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INNER COURTYARD CLOSE TO NATURE


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NEVER CUT TREES INSTEAD ADAPTED HIS DESIGN ACCORDINGLY


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ARCHES LED INTO A BEAUTIFUL

OPEN ROOM


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COURTYARD HAS MANYGARDENS AND PONDS

Pitched roof made of

manglore tiles


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BAKERS FONDNESS OF

ARCHES


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SIMPLE YET BEAUTIFUL

WINDOWS


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GABLES FOR PROPER

AIR CIRCULATION AND

VENTILATION


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GRILL MADE OF BITS AND PIECES


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CONICAL STRUCTURE USED


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COST EFFECTIVE BAKERS

WINDOW

Louvered window typical of

bakers type


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STAINED GLASS EFFECT


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WATER TANK

FOR STORING

RAINHARVESTED

WATER


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Mrs Nalini Nayak`s residence

(A Social Worker)Ulloor, Trivandrum (1971)

Requirements:-

Meeting place.

working place (training).

Open spaces.

Classroom & dormitories.


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External ViewsGenerous sprawling ground floor with three

floor staking of pentagon


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The main house is formed by a simple three-floor stacking of the pentagon on nine-inch-

thick brick walls

internally each floor divides into the bedroom,

bath and landing

The additional segment on the ground, formingthe living/dining and kitchen, is structured withbays of half-brick thickness, alternating walland wall and door


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Ground floor plan


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2nd Floor Plan


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The Entrance


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View of entrance from living room

Built

furniture of

bricks


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1st floor bedroom entrance.

Common door for entry and

bathroom


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Jali walls

Sun light merging

inwards.


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Jali window.

2nd floor bedroom.


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FISHERMENS VILLAGEPoonthura ,Trivandrum(1974-75)

CHALLENGES:

Severity of environment in which the tribal's live.

Limitation of resources Conventional architects stayed away from these projects

Dealing with large insular groups, with set ideas and

traditions.

Dealing with cyclones

Area of each unit : 25 sqm


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Design strategies

Exposed brickwork and structure

Sloped concrete roof

Openness in design and individual units offset eachother

Continuous latticework

in the exposed walls

Construction


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Low sloped roofs and courts serve as wind

catchers

Open walls function to dispel it

Long row of housing replaced by even

staggering

Fronting courts catch the breeze and also get

view of sea

Dealing With Cyclones:


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Little private rectangle of land in between

houses for drying nets , kids play,

Provides sleeping lofts within and adequate

space outside for mending nets and cleaning

and drying fish

Open Spaces


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PLAN


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COMPUTER CENTRE

Ulloor, Trivandrum (1971)

elevation

Solution ofComputer Centre Design

Problems

Fitting in naturally and

harmoniously with the elevations

of the twenty five year oldinstitution

Challenges :


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Using principle of lattice wall planning, breezeways and built

of natural brick and stone keeping in consideration theelectronic sophistication

He proposed a double walled building with an outer surfaceof intersecting circles of brick jalis

Internal shell fulfilled the constraints and controls necessaryfor a computer laboratory.

Space between the two walls accommodated the secondaryrequirements for offices and storage areas.


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plan

External lattice

Two storeyed outer wall is stiffened by a series of intersecting circles,


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Space used for storage

Documents

Laurie Baker1 2003 Format (2)