Biography: Lauric Baker was a British-born architect. He studicd architecture in the British mill town of Birmingham He came to India in 1945 and since then was living and working in India for over 50 years-in Thiruvananthapuram Ideals: edesigning and building low cost, high quality, beautiful homes ea great portion of his work - lower-middle to lower class clients. *buildings tend to emphasize prolific - at times virtuosic - masonry construction, instilling privacy and evoking history with brick jali walls, a perforated brick screen which utilizes natural air movement to cool the home's interior and create intricate patterns of light and shadow. «Another significant feature is irregular, pyramid-like structures on roofs, with one side left open and tilting into the wind. traditional Indian sloping roofs and terracotta Mangalore tile shingling with gables and vents allowing rising hot air to escape. «Curved walls - means to enclose more volume at lower material cost than straight walls, and for Laurie, "building [became] more fun with the circle."Ideas * Manual Sensibilities and the basen rem ctaon ute habits of the past still survive in cultures. The particular economic conditions of a place tend to produce architecture with little theoretical and academic basis * Materials and methods are limited + Craftsman’s role is critical in the making of building + Architecture exists in an effortless continuity determined by tradition and conditioned by natural lawsSite Features «In any project, Baker is particularly sensitive to the existing contours and the other elements present on the site. Before planning anything; the location of each tree is taken into consideration. «Even the levels in his design are not artificially created but are made to follow existing contours or steep slopes on the site. Building Materials *optimum use of the locally available materials, which are appropriate to the existing climatic conditions. local materials like brick, tile, lime, palm thatch, stone, granite and laterite replace the conventional steel and glass of modern architecture. «Mangalore tiles are used for the roofing. *These materials suit the hot, wet and humid climate of Kerala and also encourage minimal use of non-renewable resources. «small-scale industries required for the manufacturing, cutting, polishing, and other various treatment of theses materials help in increasing the employment amongst the poor localities. -Concrete is rarely used; most often in a folded slab design. *The waste and discarded tiles are used as fillers, thereby making the roof light and inexpensiveTechniques adopted sinnovated different bonding techniques for brick - half- brick thickness. *To add rigidity, many a times these walls were designed in a stepped or curved form. *Glass windows, frames and sills are replaced by traditional jallis Jalli The jalli - is a perforated screen made of bricks. The bricks are placed in a peculiar fashion so as to produce tiny regular openings in the walls. can be designed in various patterns as desired. catches light and air and diffuses glare; while allowing for privacy and security; thus acting as a window and a ventilator both at the same time. *encourages airflow, yet the construction of this form of ventilation requires neither special materials nor special skills. The spanned openings in a brick wall are made economical by using 'stepped' or 'corbelled' arch. In case of a rectangular opening reinforced brickwork is used which capitalizes on the composite action of the lintel with the masonry above.Cost Reduction Methods of Baker — Used in all his buildings ¢ Baker uses materials frugally owing to the depleting natural resources * Most of the technique and materials applied were to reduce cost and improve self sustainability aoa, 2. os (ee rex on page 244)oupiecnere, a: TRY 8 “9Redefining Tradition KOE E Me Lene eka 2s Design *Corbelled arches *Filler slabs Rat trap bond eJalli work «Kerala regional -PrototypeResource Concious Economy Simplicity Buitding Process PyWOYPkKS....000.The Computer centre at the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram. can that goes into air-conditioning a building of this scale and purpose.Natural Lighting and Ventilation the high latticed brick walls and a pond are used to draw air across its surface and cool the building - a cooling system achieved in a vernacular way. Also by gently stepping up the singly loaded building at C.D.S., he attempts to create continuous breezeways to temper the humid climate in a deceptively simple way. *Rooms are devoid of glass window, frames and sills. Instead small openings in brick akin to traditional jali are incorporated. Trellis honey-combed walling, wood screens and lattice are used in abundance making the room breezy and cool.Construction features ¢Foundation constructed of random rubble mixed in lime surkhi mortar; (lime manufactured from manufactured from sea shells on the site). *Super structure of load bearing brick. Slabs are of filler tiles; whereas flooring is a mixture of local quarry tiles. Windows are made out of jack wood. -Bathrooms are plastered, rest all surfaces either exposed or whitewashed, *The precast stair treads used in circular stair tower are made of filler slab and bamboo reinforcement. *Roofs are of folded concrete slabGovernment undertaking — prototype made by baker ade" later on carried over by | building center Office and teaching spaces — uses local inexpensive materials Materials that use minimum fuel in manufacturing a transportation | YERANDAN OPEN CLASSROOM come 7 STORE Total cost of the project = Rs 60,000 ‘nrcnen OFFICE ‘WORK AREA 3 PARTLY OPEN WORK YAO Tove 12 UNLOADING PLATFORMProject 3 - St John’s Cathedral, Tiruvella, 1973-7 Historical account — Christianity came to Kerala about 200 years back— church designs brought by Portuguese hence had baroque or gothic style Typical bamboo construction was used earlier to this Hence both ‘Hindu’ temples and ‘churches’ had lot of resemblance and people accepted immediately Baker used these vernacularism, the base plan is circular, centrally planned of approximately 120° dia The building comprises of internal Greek cross with external appearance of Hindu temple But unlike the temple, the drum and the steeply pitched roof of the circle are not contained within the cireumambulatory court, but are set squarely in the center of a compound wallThe outer walls are built entirely of locally available granite and brick Jack wood is used for trusses that span the walls and rises to a central skylight Because of their 70’ span, the truss were worked out with engineers of forest research institute. The roof is covered with the traditional tiles. bamboo-growing countries. He demonstrate, with sketches, hhow the by boo architectural style could be modified for the Christian requireme After « great deal of research and experimental sketches, the Bist agreed that the effort could d¢ adapted to the construction of St, JotThe Loyola Chapel, reflecting Baker's mastery over 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 place the wall. Women’s hostelin Thiruvananthapuram. Baker playfully uses curved forms. The living room at 'The Hamlet'. An integration of new building and salvaged timber from traditional buildings that were being demolished. ‘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.Baker’s architectural principles: Only accept a reasonable brief Discourage extravagance and snobbery Always study your site and see potential relating to the soli, drainage, power, fuel, etc., You yourself get accurate site details and in-situ facts Every building should be unique; no two families are alike, so why should their dwelling Study and know local materials, cost, building techniques and construction Study the energy used in the production of materials and transport Don’t rob national resources; don’t use them extravagantly and unnecessarily Be honest in design, materials, construction, costs and your own mistakes Avoid opulence and showing-off by using currently fashionable gimmicks Get your conscience out of deep-freeze, and use it Have faith in your convictions and have the courage to stick with them Make ‘low cost’ a habit and a way of life Keep your knowledge up-to-date Don’t do what is not necessary Above all, use common sense Trim your staff, drawings and requirement