Not far away, louis kahns magnificent tourdeforce of brickwork at ahmedabad is. Please wash your hands and practise social distancing. Oct 12, 2016 gandhi told him that anyone willing to work for the people was welcome to the country. It will be too heavy and too big to pick up with one hand. Jul 11, 2016 rat trap bond is a brick masonry method of wall construction, in which bricks are placed in vertical position instead of conventional horizontal position and thus creating a cavity hollow space within the wall. He came to india in 1945 as a missionary aid worker and. The hamlet, laurie baker s home thiruvananthapuram, 3. Bakers unconventional approach to architecture redefined the concept of housing for the masses and earned him the name of architect of the poor. During the world war ii he was an anaesthetist to a surgical team in china where he also worked on control and treatment. Baker advocated modest materials such as brick and lime surkhi mortar powdered, burnt brick mixed with lime by employing them in courtyards and walls formed with rat trap bonds. Life, works, writing this book is the most the important and complete publication on laurie baker yet.
Architect laurie baker introduced it in kerala in the 1970s and used it extensively for its lower construction cost, reduced material requirement and better thermal efficiency than conventional masonry wall, without compromising strength of the wall. This year, 2017, marks the centenary birth anniversary of arguably indias greenest architect, laurie baker, who was often called the father of sustainable architecture. Background key plan thiruvananthapuram, kerala, india 3. Amazing brick work in the facade of the south asian human rights documentation centre, new delhi, india designed by anagram architects also of new delhi. Laurie baker full movie featurette for uncommon sense. The brick house has been inspired by both the philosophies and the works of laurie baker and nari gandhi. The former one was published by dc books and the later by penguin books and it is vailable in all leading book stores. Nishita kedia centre for development studies trivandrum women dormitory it features some of bakers most vitruosic brick work. Baker did question the logic of plastered makeup as an unnecessary paste on unlike anybody before in kerala. A biography of inspiring britishorigin indian architect laurie baker who pioneered costeffective energy efficient beautiful and simple architecture in india in brick. But for a man who did so much, he remains refreshingly unknown.
Of architectural truths and lies laurie baker when i am designing a new building, there are a few basic principles that guide. Influenced by mahatma gandhi and his own experiences in the remote himalayas. Brick jali walls, a perforated brick screen which utilises natural air movement to cool. Topics brick work, construction, masonry, architecture collection arvindgupta. Chandy, he received great encouragement and later married his sister. I wanted to fit in my work the local building materials. Low cost housing is a new concept which deals with effective budgeting and following of techniques which help in reducing the cost construction through the use of locally available materials along with improved skills and technology without sacrificing the strength, performance and life of the structure. The otherside of laurie baker by late elizabeth baker and lauire baker. Taking inspiration from architect laurie baker, we used techniques like rattrap bonds brickwork, filler slabs, brick jalis, brick arches, builtin furniture and use of local material.
All ventilation was through traditional brick jalis trellis and the roof was an aframe made of bamboo which carried a coconut thatch roof. Baker s unconventional approach to architecture redefined the concept of housing for the masses and earned him the name of architect of the poor. During the world war ii he was an anaesthetist to a surgical team in china where he also. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext.
A collection of responses that laurie baker made to questions on himself and his philosophy and architecture. The brick house istudioarchitecture the architects diary. Jul 06, 2017 designed by indian architects, design work group, the brick curtain house is a response to a unique climatic challenge that required the passive cooling of large surface areas which make up the west facing front facade of the building. Most of us who have travelled to the subcontinent have fallen in love with his common sense, sitespecific approach to building. Jan 01, 2012 laurie bakers indian coffee house, trivandrum one of the prominent landmarks in the thampanoor area of trivandrum, where both the railway station as well as the bus terminal are located, is the indian coffee house designed by laurie baker. The indian coffee house is a neo vernacular architectural style public building located in thiruvanthapuram, kerala. Laurie baker was so different from his contemporaries. Laurie baker laurence laurie baker was called the gandhi of architecture, and rightly so.
Rat trap bond brick wall construction by earthbound architecture. This manual is mainly put together to help deal with working out inexpensive. Although bricks are made of mud, we burn or bake them to make. Therefore please note that this is definitely a grossly incomplete list and has been pieced together in retrospect. Born in birmingham, england, in 1917, laurie baker studied architecture at the birmingham school of architecture from where he graduated in 1937 and became an associate member of the, riba. Some of his noteworthy works include the laurie baker centre, the indian coffee house, and the centre for development studies in trivandrum, kerala. Designed by indian architects, design work group, the brick curtain house is a response to a unique climatic challenge that required the passive cooling of large surface areas which make up the west facing front facade of the building.
Baker s body of work is significant both in terms of the volume and sheer diversity as well as in terms of the innovative and practical concepts he introduced. Architect laurie baker has structured his work area on the principles of cost effectiveness and sustainability via use of indigenous material, respect to nature, avoidance of energy intensive material and waste minimization. So passionate was he about his mission to create shelter for as many as possible that he rarely documented any of his work per any typical architects norms. Movie featurette for the upcoming full length documentary film on architect laurie baker. Mud laurie baker about the author born in birmingham, england, in 1917, laurie baker studied architecture at the birmingham school of architecture from where he graduated in 1937 and became an associate member of the, riba. Brick work, construction, masonry, architecture addeddate 20160527 10. This small book is about the best ways of using the common burnt brick, the simplest and least complicated of all our inventions. The three books which formed the core of the research were. Laurie baker free download as powerpoint presentation. Based on his principles, alternative technology i nitiatives and institutions. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to. Jun 14, 2017 this year, 2017, marks the centenary birth anniversary of arguably indias greenest architect, laurie baker, who was often called the father of sustainable architecture. Laurie baker is barely recognised in international architectural circles.
He bared his walls of beautiful brick works or stone masonry and made us admire the beauty of materials. Perhaps this is why the metric brick 20 x10 x 5 cm has not been acceptable. Acceptable housing laurie baker 1999 this manual is mainly put together to help deal with working out inexpensive, effective and acceptable housing schemes for the homeless families in kerala. I never build for classes of people high income, middle income or low income groups, tribals or fishermen. Neerada who lived in one of the last houses designed by the legendary indian architect, talk about his legacy. Each room flows into another, leading into a seamless space held by the central courtyard. Laurie baker architect pioneered vernacular sustainable ecofriendly green architecture in india with brick mud and other local materials. In his childhood he would accompany his father every weekend to visit cathedrals and other old buildings and then he would build models and draw pictures of what he had seen. The british architect made india his home and its terrain inspired his costeffective, energyconscious architecture. Laurie baker, the brick master of kerala linkedin slideshare. He is renowned for his initiatives in costeffective energyefficient.
Reprinted in 2014, this book authored by gautam bhatia makes an invaluable. Each of t hese dimensions has been support ed t hrough a baker s quot e wit h support i ng work ill ust rat ion. Taking inspiration from architect laurie baker, we used techniques like rattrap bonds for brickwork, filler slabs, brick jalis and builtin furniture. The rattrap bond for brickwork helped in reducing the amount of material, provided natural insulation and provided for readymade conduiting for electrical work. The brick curtain house in india by design work group livin. The process of putting the film together, given baker s reticence to document his own work, involved a lot of archiving, and was followed by three years of extensive travels and conversations with peers, clients, friends and family.
Brick works indian home design internet round house exposed brick the borrowers house design gto facade. Jan 07, 20 laurie baker building centrepromoted by hudco and dsib, govt. Perhaps much of the content of the manual may be of relevance to many other parts of india. It had no windows and just the bare essential doors. Mar 08, 2008 laurie baker is an awardwinning britishborn indian architect and humanitarian, considered the gandhi of architecture. Each of these dimensions has been supported through a bakers quote with supporting work illustration. The curve of the plan gave privacy to the various spaces. Aug 03, 2015 take a 6 minute crash course on visionary architect laurie baker.
Fortunately most of us cannot afford these soulless wire cut bricks. The book assembles influences, details and observations on and by laurie baker to treat one to an explicit and fitting record to his willingness to accommodate and experiment with architecture of frugality and his continuing capacity to inspire people in reevaluating excess. Laurence wilfred baker, born on 2 nd march 1917 in birmingham, england, moved to india at the peak of the indian independence struggle against the british. If you make a larger brick and use more than one scoop of mud, you will have to bend down twice to pick up enough mud.
Brick work, construction, masonry, architecture addeddate 20160214 14. Laurie baker womens dormitory at the centre for development studies, located in ulloor, trivandrum, completed in 1971 this building features some of bakers most vitruosic brick work. The campus of sewa also houses beautiful brick structures including an auditorium with 150 seats, a dormitory with an occupancy capacity of 60, three guestrooms with double beds and a cafeteria with a seating capacity of 60, designed and built by costford under the direct supervision of laurie baker during 200204. Climatology and the solar path, along with jalis and arched openings have played an essential role to introduce light and wind into each interior space. Costford the centre of science and technology for rural development is an architectural practice in kerala founded by. S huts, computer institutes, private homes, hostels, hospitals, churches, technical institutes, auditoriums, film studios and tourist centres. Jan 09, 2012 laurence wilfred laurie baker march 2, 1917 april 1, 2007 was an awardwinning britishborn indian architect, renowned for his initiatives in costeffective energyefficient architecture and for his unique space utilization and a simple but beautiful aesthetic sensibility. I like the contrast of textures of brick, of stone, of concrete, of wood. Lecture 3 contemporary architecture laurie baker authorstream. Materials and techniques in low cost housing 8jlk67k1r345. I think these small variations give tremendous character to a wall made of thousands of bricks, so i never dream of.
Rat trap bond brick wall construction by earthbound. When this big brick is burned it is likely to warp, bend and crack. Nishita kedia centre for development studies trivandrum women dormitory it features some of baker s most vitruosic brick work. The author gautam bhatia tries to frame most of the works of baker in this book although it was a tough job. But we took it as vernacular and labeled as an adaptation of kerala style. Baker s work is characterized by a fairly consistent system of design principles, building methods, and equally consistent but evolving set of idiosyncrasies.
This common brick contains just that amount of mud, which you can pick up. Looking like a jenga stack on steroids, this beautiful brick facade shields the south asian human rights documentation centre in india, doing double duty as a solar screen and noise buffer. After testing a number of potential interventions, the idea of undulating bricks or a brick curtain. Lawrence wilfred laurie baker 2 march 1917 1 april 2007 was a britishborn indian architect, renowned for his initiatives in costeffective energyefficient architecture and designs that maximized space, ventilation and light and maintained an uncluttered yet striking aesthetic sensibility. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. I think these small variations give tremendous character to a wall made of thousands of bricks, so i never dream of covering such a unique and characterful creation with plaster, which is mainly dull and characterless.
Laurie baker, the well known british born architect, settled in kerala, took the lead in this effort. The first was a onetime home of his with a doughnut plan. Laurie baker or laurence wilfred baker was born on march 2, 1917 in a christian family. I only build for a matthew, a bhaskaran, a muneer or a sankaran. The book is the first documentation of a work by baker. Nirmithi kendra in kerala center for development studies trivandrum 1975. Laurie bakers architectural principles bringing designs to. For laurie baker, a house was more than brick and mortar, it was a living thing. The definitive biography of laurie baker laurie baker has worked in india for over forty years and is renowned for being one of the very few architects in the world to have designed and built buildings as diverse as fishermens huts, computer institutes, private homes, hostels, hospitals, churches, technical institutes, auditoriums, film studios and tourist centres. Remembering the genius architect in his centenary year. Feb 21, 20 detail information of this building can be found in the book laurie baker. The common burnt brick is one of mans great inventions.
Take a 6 minute crash course on visionary architect laurie baker. Some areas used brick, other areas used no brick at all and stone in other places and only mud in other. So it was sometimes stone work, mud work and wood work etc. Laurie baker, an indian architect of british origin, passed away last sunday at the age of. Two curved jali walls fan outward from a central spine, creating a breezy, shaded shared corridor space. Chandy, he received great encouragement and later married his sister while laurie continued his architectural work and research accommodating the medical needs of the community through his constructions of various hospitals and clinics. Born in birmingham, england, in 1917, laurie baker studied architecture at the. The first part of the research on laurie baker involved most of the literature survey. Rat trap bondrat trap bond brick masonry is an alternative tonormal english bond masonry walls by which 15%of cost can be reduced without comprimising thequality, strength and appearances. Laurie baker, a pioneer of traditional building methods, was known for his use of locally. Laurie came to india in 1945, worked in the remotest of areas mostly in kerala, and passed away in 2007 at a ripe age o f 90. Because baker did not like to do his jobs on drawing tables rather he preferred on site decisions. Leslie bakers 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. Check out our resources for adapting to these times.