"Daddy" This is how we address him there at Laurie Baker Habitat. A British-born Indian architect extraordinaire, who had made Kerala his home, designed it. By then, he had been in India for some 44 years and had built a house for himself in the Thiruvananthapuram suburb of Nalanchira.

1. “Always living close to nature
I learnt many lessons from the
design of God's creations.”

2. LAURIE BAKER
Laurence Wilfred "Laurie" Baker
(March 2, 1917 – April 1, 2007)
Award-winning British-born Indian architect
Renowned for his initiatives in cost-effective
energy-efficient architecture and for his unique
space utilisation and simple but beautiful aesthetic
sensibility.
He made a name for himself both in sustainable
architecture as well as in organic architecture.
In 1990, the Government of India awarded him with
the Padma Shri in recognition of his meritorious
service in the field of Architecture.
He obtained Indian citizenship in 1989 and resided
in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, since 1970 , where
he later set up an organization called COSTFORD
(Centre of Science and Technology for Rural
Development), for spreading awareness for low cost
housing.

4. Baker's architectural method is one of improvisation, in which
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.
Compartments for milk bottles near the doorstep, windowsills
that double as bench surfaces, and a heavy emphasis on taking
cues from the natural condition of the site are just some
examples.
His Quaker-instilled respect for nature lead 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. ("I think it's a waste of money to level a well-moulded
site")

5. In Kerala during the 1960s and
subsequently, Baker developed and
applied an approach to architecture
derived from an intimate understanding of
the local climate, available building
materials and craft skills, as well as from
the detailed attention he paid to the
specific needs of his individual, often
relatively poor, clients.
He applied this approach to designing
many hundreds of homes, hospitals,
schools, and religious and government
buildings, and in the process created an
elegant, simple and essentially Indian
architecture for the late 20th century,
one in stark contrast to the western-
influenced, resource-intensive
architecture of the time.
Baker produced valuable guidance on
adapting Indian buildings to withstand
the impact of natural disasters.

6. To build cheaply, he ruthlessly pruned all non-local materials. Thus
cement plasters were eliminated, while flat concrete slab roofs,
window glass and bars were replaced by inventive uses of local
bricks, clay tiles, timber and lime.
Window openings were replaced by patterns of small openings
(brick jali) in the brickwork, providing adequate light, ventilation
and security.

7. All his later architecture bears the
marks of his early experience:
the clever appreciation of the
opportunities of the site;
uncompromising simplicity;
delight in the naturalness of local
materials and craftsmanship;
the happy incorporation of whatever
useable materials nature, accident or
demolition happen to provide;
and a willingness to be boldly
experimental in pursuit of cost
reduction.
Stainwell in
Nalini Nayak's
residence in
Thiruvanantha
puram,
Perforated
brick walls
create dappled
patterns of
light.
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.

9. 'The Hamlet', Laurie Baker's home
in Thiruvananthapuram, built
on a steeply sloping and rocky
hillside that hardly had any
vegetation when Baker started
constructing it , is now a visual
delight.

10. Earliest incarnation of the Hamlet
Baker's house in a quiet niche in Kerala's
capital city represents a
captivating fusion of nature and home. The
feeling of being away from nature always
brings a certain melancholy to the city-dweller.
The fact that nature and home have become
two separate entities brings so much
pain that one can barely think of anything else.

11. The Play Of Shades
And Shadows By Using
BRICK JALLIS, the
effective way to
minimize your
electricity bills.
Built In Furniture For
House
ENVIRONMENT
CONCERN-
RECYCLED Wood from
traditional demolished
building.
Surface treatment
By Using Waste
Materials
QUALITY OF SPACES
TRADITIONAL
APPROACH

12. In Baker's creations one
can always see a great respect for
nature. A peaceful co-existence
involving nature, man and home
comes across in his work. Moving
around within Baker's architecture
one feels that one has been
transcended to a novel and poetic
world. The extreme simplicity in his
architecture infuses tranquillity and
leaves one at a loss for words.
He has preserved the simplicity of
the Quakers and Gandhian thought
in his architecture. He had the
realisation that he was to build
houses for the common man.
“Simplicity has its own inherent
beauty. One does not need to do
anything special to bring it out.”

15. Here Baker evolved an innovative
system of curved double walls to
save on cost and to conserve the
energy that goes into air-
conditioning a building of this scale
and purpose.

16. •Baker artfully provides spaces to maintain
privacy as well as interaction.
•He does not use shapes purely because they are
fashionable or trendy.
• At times the shape he uses evolves out of the
land and at other times it
evolves out of the intended function of a
structure.
•It never appears that
things have been done in a certain manner just
for the sake of doing so.

17. Other architectural works…

18. CSI Church

19. Loyola Women's Hostel

20. The living room of Dr.
Dolas' residence in
Thiruvananthapuram.
Baker playfully uses
curved forms.
The Hamlet

21. The Loyola Chapel,
reflecting Baker's mastery
over light.
Baker's
innovative
use of
discarded bottles,
inset in the wall
at Col. Jacob's
residence in
Thiruvananthapuram
creates
a
stained glass effect.
The Computer centre
at the
Centre for Development
Studies,
Thiruvananthapuram.

24. collage
work
of
bapu

25. Is a fan required to create air movement...
Is a lamp needed to provide light?
Many people do not give such questions any thought. Fans and
lamps can be avoided through appropriate planning.
•In India there is sunlight all round the year, which means that if
water is stored in the southern part of the house, hot water can be
made available.
•Garbage can be recycled.
Commercial-minded architects seldom give a thought to such
things.
Only a person like Baker had the courage for this, because
his motive was not just to make money.

26. In short, our effort should be to look for
technologies which are strong, durable,
functional and yet aesthetic and more
importantly, cost effective. That is, housing
technologies which are acceptable and
affordable to the people.
Is it possible?
AND LAURIE BAKER PROVED-
The answer is a strong YES.