laurie baker is an architect, he is known as the gandhi of architecture

1. HOA - SEMESTER 5TH ARCHITECT
H A FSA UMA IMA
20031A A 025
(MARCH 2. 1917-APRIL 1, 2007)

2. BRITISH-BORN INDIAN ARCHITECT
HE WENT TO INDIA IN 1945 IN PART AS A MISSIONARY & SINCE THEN LIVED
AND WORKED IN INDIA FOR OVER 50 years
. HE OBTAINED INDIAN CITIZENSHIP IN 1989 AND RESIDED IN
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (TRIVANDRUM), KERALA.
► IN 1990, THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA AWARDED HIM WITH PADMA SHRI IN
RECOGNITION OF HIS MERITORIOUS SERVICE IN THE FIELD OF ARCHITECTURE.
LAURIE BAKER

3. creative portfolio
∆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
LAURIE BAKER

4. + DESIGNING AND BUILDING LOW COST, HIGH
QUALITY, BEAUTIFUL HOMES
+ SUITED TO OR BUILT FOR LOWER-MIDDLE TO
LOWER CLASS CLIENTS.
IRREGULAR, PYRAMID-LIKE STRUCTURES ON ROOFS,
WITH ONE SIDE LEFT OPEN AND TILTING INTO THE
WIND.
LAURIE BAKER

5. LAURIE BAKER
BRICK JALI WALLS, A PERFORATED BRICK SCREEN WHICH UTILISES
NATURAL AIR MOVEMENT TO COOL THE HOME'S INTERIOR AND
CREATE INTRICATE PATTERNS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW
BAKER WAS OFTEN SEEN RUMMAGING THROUGH SALVAGE HEAPS
LOOKING FOR SUITABLE BUILDING MATERIALS, DOOR AND WINDOW
FRAMES.
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 MADE ON-SITE BY THE ARCHITECT HIMSELF

6. BAKER'S DESIGNS INVARIABLY HAVE TRADITIONAL INDIAN SLOPING ROOFS &
TERRACOTTA MANGALORE TILE SHINGLING WITH GABLES AND VENTS
ALLOWING RISING HOT AIR TO ESCAPE.
CURVED WALLS TO ENCLOSE MORE VOLUME AT LOWER MATERIAL COST THAN
STRAIGHT WALLS.
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
style
LAURIE BAKER

7. KEY FEATURES OF HIS HOUSE ARE:
+ALL THE WALLS ARE MADE OF MUD BRICKS.
+TIMBER SALVAGED FROM AN OLD
BOATJETTY
+ ONE OF THE OTHER SIGNATURE ELEMENTS
OF HIS DESIGN INCLUDES THE USE OF
CIRCULAR WALLS, WHICH USE FAR LESS
BRICK THAN RECTANGULAR WALLS.
+WHEN HE DOES USE CONCRETE FOR A
ROOF, HE EMBEDS CHIPPED OR BROKEN
TERRA COTTA ROOFING TILES INTO THE
MIXTURE.
CREATIVE PRESENTATION TEMPLATE
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA

8. THESE TILES, WHICH NORMALLY WOULD BE THROWN AWAY,
CONTRIBUTE TO THE STRENGTH OF THE ROOF, ALLOW LESS OF THE
EXPENSIVE CONCRETE TO BE USED, AND REDUCE THE STRUCTURAL
LOAD OF THE BUILDING.
-HE USED BROKEN TILES FOR THE OUTER PAVED AREA OF HIS GARDEN.
-THE LIVING ROOM, AN INTEGRATION OF NEW BUILDING AND
SALVAGED TIMBER FROM TRADITIONAL BUILDINGS THAT WERE BEING
DEMOLISHED.
-BAKER'S INNOVATIVE USE OF DISCARDED
-BOTTLES, INSET IN THE WALLS GIVING A VERY
-GOOD EFFECT OF LIGHT AND CREATING AN ILLUSION OF STAINED
GLASS.
LAURIE BAKER

9. LAURIE BAKER
Wall Decorated with Broken Potteries and Glasses
In-built Furnitures

10. LAURIE BAKER
VIEWS

11. Mrs Nalini Nayak`s residence,(A Social Worker), Ulloor,Trivandrum(1971) LAURIE BAKER
Requirements:-
• Meeting place.
• working place
(training).
• Open spaces.
• Classroom &
dormitories.
EXTERNAL VIEWS: GENEROUS SPRAWLING GROUND FLOOR WITH THREE FLOOR STAKING OF
PENTAGON
Local building material-
bricks, tiles, lime, surkhi, timber,
thatch, stone, palm, mud.

12. • EXTERN AL VIEWS: GEN ERO US SP RAWLIN G GRO UN D FLO O R WITH
THREE FLOOR STAK ING OF PENTAGON
• Th e main h o u s e is fo rme d BY A SIMP LE THREE -FLO O R
STACK IN G O F THE P EN TAGO N O N N IN E -IN CH -THICK BRICK
WALLS
• IN TERN ALLY EACH FLO O R DIVIDES IN TO THE BEDRO O M, BATH
AND LANDING
• THE ADDITIO N AL SEGMEN T O N THE GRO UN D, FO RMIN G THE
LIVIN G/DIN IN G AN D K ITCHEN , IS STRUCTURED WITH BAY S O F
HALF -BRICK THICK N ESS, ALTERN ATIN G WALL AN D WALL AN D
DO O R
• BUILT FURN ITURE O F BRICK S
• 1 ST FLO O R BEDRO O M EN TRAN CE: CO MMO N DO O R FO R EN TRY
AN D BATHRO O M
• JALI WALLS: SUN LIGHT MERGIN G IN WARDS .
LAURIE BAKER

13. • BUILT FURNITURE OF BRICKS
LAURIE BAKER
2nd FLOOR
BEDROOM -
JAALI WINDOWS
• J A LI WA LLS: SUN LIGH T
MER GING INWAR DS.
VIEW
1ST FLOOR BEDROOM ENTRANCE: COMMON
DOOR FOR ENTRY AND BATHROOM
Bricks and jalis -
play of light and shade,
unidirectional vision:
Unplastered walls.
Lintels and arches.
Attention to details.

14. THANKS
WH O IS C AL LED TH E G AND HI OF
ARC H ITECTU RE?
A G a nd hian b y na ture, L a urie Ba ker,
kno w n a s the 'G a nd hi o f a rchite cture ',
the 'm a ster o f m inim a lism' g a ve Ind ia
lo w - co st b uild ing d esig n with
m a ximum e f f icie ncy a nd just the rig ht
a m o unt o f a esthetics. H e o f f ered a
uniq ue tra d itio n o f a rchitecture tha t
b lend ed ma n a nd na ture.
LAURIE BAKER
HAFSA UMAIMA -