Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Laurie Baker
Laurie Baker
1. IT should be made very clear that the Principles of good housing for
whatever strata of society in whatever geographic or climatic regions, and
concerning planning, design, materials and construction techniques are in no
way different whether for rural or urban housing.
a) We must plan for the people who will occupy the house their needs, their
pattern of living, their religious ideals, their occupations etc.
b) We must as far as possible use locally available inexpensive materials.
c) These materials must be as energy-free or as energy conserving as
possible.
d) The striving for structural stability together with an acceptable and
pleasing look must be maintained.
• The structure will be able to cope with all aspects of climate, whether of
intense heat or cold, or of heavy rain or driving wind etc.
•Planning must be not only of a house, but of its services and its land
and it must take into full
• Usually the needs and the planning and the implementation of rural
housing is more complex and calls for more planning
We should also keep in mind, as planners, the very long traditions and
patterns of rural living. In particular the use and planning of the space
surrounding a house that is the compound, however small, is of more
important and value to the occupants than the few rooms of the house.
Many occupations providing preparation of food, utensils and tools,
farming, live-stock and so on are done outside, not inside the house
• Also security is important. A whole rural family may be out in the fields for
long parts of the day. The fewer your possessions, the more valuable and
essential they are to you!
• Very often a Jali wall is a better
substitute for a glass window. It lets in
general subdued light. It also deals with
ventilation but prevents driving rain from
entering. You can look from the inside to
the outside but from the outside you
cannot see inside. It is secure and thieves
or animals cannot enter.
1. Their main advantage over burnt brick walls is that no energy / fuel
are used in their manufacture.
2. There are many varieties of mud wall systems
3. Mud must be protected from water of any sort.
4. Use local methods unless you can prove “advanced methods” are
genuinely superior.
5. The easiest type of mud wall is to use the same shape and size
brick as the burnt brick, but leave it un-burnt. Masons do not have to
relearn-they use it in exactly the same bond and methods as they do
the burnt brick.
WINDOW OPENING
1. Use Arches rather than lintels
2. Many varieties of arches (see booklet) flat, segmental, pointed
rounded, corbelled, and so on.
3. All arch methods are equally suitable for mud wall construction
4. Remember to give adequate width of support walls to deal with the
arch thrust.
5. Frame work, templates, arch frames must be removed immediately
the arch is completed (to allow for compression as the mortar dries
and shrinks)
Doors and Windows
1. Wood is getting scarce and costly. Use as little as possible.
2. In many instances frameless doors and windows are acceptable and
reduce both quantity of
timber, labour and costs
3 .Board and batten type shutters are less
costly, use less labour and less timber than
panelled shutters.
4. Glass is often not necessary. Only use
when it has a useful purpose and is
essential.
5. Glass manufacture is Energy intensive.
It is extravagant or unnecessary use is
ANTI-NATIONAL
FLOORS
l. In many areas tile roofs are OK but call for a lot of timber support
(purloins, rafters, battens etc)
2. On the other hand prefabricated and various R.C slabs use energy-
intensive steel and cement.
3. Both systems have advantages and ‘evil’ disadvantages. These
including labour and transport cost and other problems have to be studied
locally before the better choice is made.
YOU MUST OF COURSE COVER YOUR GROUND FLOOR ROOMS WITH A FLAT
ROOF AND IT IS PREFERABLE, ALSO FROM THE BEGINNING, TO PLAN FOR
STAIRS.
THESE WILL MAKE YOUR FLAT ROOF UNABLE, AND OF COURSE WILL
EVENTUALLY CONNECT THE ADDITIONAL FLOORS WITH THE ORIGINAL
GROUND FLOOR.
IF YOUR PLOT AND YOUR FUNDS ARE TOO SMALL, START OFF WITH THE
GROUND FLOOR, BUT PLAN IT TO CONTAIN A STAIR TO TAKE YOU UP, FIRST
TO AN OPEN FLAT ROOF, TO AN OPEN FLAT ROOF TERRACE, AND LATER TO
ANOTHER FLOOR OF BEDROOMS ON THE FIRST FLOOR ABOVE THE ORIGINAL
GROUND FLOOR COTTAGE. THIS EXTENSION WILL ONLY COST HALF AS MUCH
AS THE FIRST BUILDING.
MINIMUM ROAD THROUGH COMMUNITY CLUSTERS
CLUSTER PLANNING AROUND A COMMON OPEN SPACE FOR COMMUNAL
WORK AND PLAY (AND FOR BULLOCK CART PARKING ETC!) CUTS DOWN
PUKKA ROAD LENGTHS, ALLOWS FOR A VARIETY OF HOUSE DESIGNS, AND
ENCOURAGES NEIGHBOURLINESS.
WHEN THERE ARE THREE BROTHERS AND THEIR FAMILIES (OR PERHAPS 3
CLOSE FRIENDS) THE THREE HOUSES CAN BE BUILT AS ONE BLOCK AND
THEN THERE IS MUCH MORE OPEN SPACE FOR EACH FAMILY.
FURTHER MORE – THE UPPER HOUSE ALSO HAS A NICE BIG TERRACE (AS
LARGE AS HIS HOUSE) ABOVE THE TWO GROUND FLOOR HOUSES.
PLOT SHAPES NEED NOT ALWAYS BE
SQUARE OR RECTANGULAR.
RO O F VA R I AT I O N S
20 m2 HOUSE AREA
.
THE MAIN CONSIDERATIONS NEEDED ARE THE MATERIALS AVAILABLE,
THE CLIMATE, THE RAINFALL AND THE WIND DIRECTIONS, AND, MOST
IMPORTANT – THE TRADITIONAL SHAPE
PLACE IN IT THE LARGER STONES AND THEN FILL IN, ALL ROUND, WITH
CONCRETE MADE OF THE SMALL STONES. AFTER DRYING AND REMOVING
THE BOX YOU HAVE AN EXCELLENT BUILDING BLOCK.
ADOBE OR SUN DRIED BRICKS
THIS IS VERY OLD, WELL TRIED AND TESTED MUD BRICK SYSTEM COMMON IN MANY
PARTS OF KERALA.
IF PROPERLY MADE, THESE MUD SUN DRIED BRICKS ARE CAPABLE OF BEING USED
FOR A TWO STOREY HOUSE.
PRESSED BRICKS
Both the walls were pierced with a continuous floor-to-roof pattern of jails,
so that the chapel was adequately, though somewhat mysteriously, lit-and
ventilated. Despite its tall proportions, the acoustics of the hall were
remarkable-the exposed surfaces and the open patterns of brickwork
controlling the reverberations.
The total covered area of the chapel
and auditorium and the gallery is
approximately 930 square meters. The
cost in 1970-71, including the
furniture and appurtenances, lighting
and sanitation was kept within the
original gift sum of 1.75 lakh rupees