Transcript 09-Ar. Laurie baker , LOW COST AND ENERGY

Ar. LAURIE BAKER
Low-Cost and environmental friendly Pioneer in Indian Architecture
By:
Ar. Anoop Sharma
Astt. Prof; DoALD
SMVDU
LAURIE BAKER
Laurie Baker, an architect from Birmingham,
now settled in Thiruvananthapuram, has
effectively combined traditional techniques
with indigenous innovations and has
managed to bring down the cost of
construction by half.
His techniques not only use cheaper
materialsbut also eliminate redundant
details from the design.
Concrete is sparingly used. Mangalore tiles
areused for the roof which makes it light
and inexpensive.
• His approach and simple principles to low cost housing are
Gandhian, which can be adopted by every builder. The
following are the mainstay of design and construction of his
houses.
• Planning of space– lesser walls, multiple uses of
space,short spans of roof, agglomeration of building
services, flexibility in growth.
• Local building material– bricks,tiles,line,surkhi,timber,
thatch, stone,palm,mud.
• Bricks and jalis – play of light and shade,unidirectional
vision.
• Unplastered walls.
• Lintels and arches.
• Attention to details.
• Baker’s works include, private residences, some
institutional buildings, like ‘center for development
studies’, Kerala. He is very active in the works of all the
building centers working in Kerala as well as in the other
parts of country. Rather it was his initial effort to promote
the low cost housing in India, where housing is a big
problem.
• His techniques not only use cheaper materials but also
eliminate redundant details from the design. Concrete is
sparingly used. Mangalore tiles are used for the roof
which makes it light and inexpensive.
• His projects for low cost buildings include
1. Center for Development Studies – Trivandrum
2. 'The
Hamlet',
Laurie
Baker's
home
Thiruvananthapuram,
3. Nirmithi kendra in Kerala
Center for Development Studies Trivandrum -1975
• Leslie Baker’s ‘masterpiece,’
the Centre for Development
Studies in Kerala, is a 10 acre
campus at a cost of Rs15 lakhs,
demonstrated the effectiveness
of his plan.
• The institute includes
 A research institute.
 A graduate school dedicated to
utilizing the study of economics
to help the poor.
Main features of this building:
• He designed the buildings at the
Centre to practically cool them.
• He renders jalis, a perforated
wooden screen found in traditional
Indian architecture, in brick;
• The open grillwork allows cool
breezes to waft into the interior
while filtering harsh, direct sunlight.
• Some buildings include a series of
small courtyards containing shallow
pools in the center, whose
evaporation helps cool the air.
• Paying close attention to the
existing site as he began to design
the project, Baker left as many
coconut palm trees in place as
possible to cast cooling shade onto
the campus.
• The Computer centre at the
Centre for Development Studies,
Thiruvananthapuram.
Here
Baker evolved an innovative
system of curved double walls
to save on cost and to conserve
the energy .
• In evaluating the campus for the
Centre, Baker planned roads
along the lower, while footpaths
were routed along naturally
occurring
elevated
areas;
following the natural topography
helps to limit erosion and
despoilment of the environment.
• Brickwalls were left unplastered
and brick corbelling was used
rather than more expensive
concrete lintels.
• With his mastery over his
medium, Baker creates a
variety of textures and patterns
by simple manipulation of the
way in which bricks are placed
in the wall.
• The
architecture
of
this
academic
complex
was
conceived as a demonstration
of economically responsible
building practices.
BAKER’S HOUSE, “THE HAMLET”
• Baker’s own residence is
called ‘The Hamlet’. It has been
built in Thiruvananthapuram,
built on a steeply sloping and
rocky hillside that hardly had
any vegetation when Baker
started constructing.
• Baker has truly adopted his
motto to “make low-costery a
habit and a way of life” by
reusing everything, from brick
to glass bottles, as building
materials.
• Key features of his house are:
All the walls are made of mud bricks.
Timber salvaged from an old boat jetty.
• One of the other signature
elements of his design
includes the use of circular
walls, which use far less brick
than rectangular walls.
• In addition, when he does
use concrete for a roof, he
embeds chipped or broken
terra cotta roofing tiles into
the mixture.
• 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.
• He made an extensive use of
timber in his house, like in the
living room of house, the
detailing in wood and mud
bricks are wonderful.
• 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.
QUOTATIONS
"No innovative artist can hope to proceed in
work without having gained an
understanding of the local wisdom of a
place.''
-LAURIE BAKER