Laurie Baker - my thoughts
- 1. Ar. Laurie BakerSynopsisPragya Gupta-457200-695325Laurie Baker….The question is why I chose him and not one of the other 32 architects who probably make more glamorous, structurally stronger, innovative and widely accepted buildings? What is the point of a multistoried, steel and glass building with heavy energy, building and maintenance costs that only a chosen FEW can afford? I feel that true innovation lies where availability is not compromised. What is the point of a revolution that does not sweep everybody and I mean everybody into its folds? Laurie Baker's R and D and his architecture are dedicated to developing and innovating cost effective architecture with energy saving as well as eco-friendly materials. Born on march 2, 1917, he passed out of the Birmingham's School Of Architecture and became a member of the Royal Institute of Architects. My first thought was how did a student taught in the same manner as his colleagues with emphasis on contemporary architecture suddenly change his ways?You could owe it to his sensitivity as a person because he saw what none of us did… He saw the need rather than extravagance, he saw the present and the future in unity rather than neglecting the present for what is yet to come. His work, like I said, is dedicated to ‘cost-effective architecture’ and he also emphasizes on energy saving techniques. His trademark jali work is an excellent example. These brick jalis have been used as vertical load bearing members, thereby negating the need of windows, glass, steel, ornamentation or other such expensive materials. He learnt new ways of using burnt brick…Jalis, eye-catching brick bonds, arched openings; he used only locally available materials without compromising on either aesthetics or strength. He designed buildings that were acceptable to the users that blended with the local surroundings. With all these constrain, he still achieved what could not have been dreamt of. And all this at an unbelievably low price. The two important characteristics of a so-called Baker Architecture—that 'small' is not only 'beautiful' but is often essential and even more important than `large'; and that if we architects are even to start coping effectively with the real building problems and the housing needs of the world, we must learn how to build as inexpensively as possible.His anti-facadism in the sense that his buildings broke all known styles, there was no contemporary, no traditional…only vernacular dominated by material and purpose is a well known fact. This is most noticeable in the Loyola church, where his broken free of all pre-established ideas, merged Indian vernacular style with the basic concept of church and provided us with an excellent example of thinking beyond the known or accepted. His honesty regarding material gives his buildings a unique character where the material forms the ventilators, it forms the final finish and it even forms the ornamentation. At times, the primary building material is even used to form the furniture.-276225-2233295The project that most fascinated me was the architect’s own home, The Hamlet because I feel an architect’s home is an honest window to his design. Due to the lack of finances, he started with a one room house and built it, gradually, to the complex of buildings that we see today. During the whole process, he has not touched a single stone or plant which is remarkable is exactly what we need today.He was born on March 2, 1917 into a very staunch Christian Methodist family. The family was deeply involved in church activities. After his matriculation, he joined the Birmingham’s School of Architecture and became an Associate Member of the Royal Institute of Architects (ARIBA) in 1938. Hardly had he got the opportunity to start working in England when World War II broke out just a year later in 1939. In his youth Laurie had participated quite devotedly in all church activities along with his family. However, now in his teens, the traditional teachings of the church were starting to seem less appealing to him. He came into contact with some Quakers or members of the Society of Friends who believed in the power of non-violence and to live in respect of every person small or big, rich or poor. He came to India in 1945 in part as a missionary and since then lived and worked in India for over 50 years.In 1948 Elizabeth Jacob, a doctor, and Laurie were married and moved to Pithoragarh, a small village in Uttarakhand, where they lived and worked for the next 16 years. He died on April 1, 2007.This project helped me realize how every living person deserves an at least decently comfortable accommodation and how in our drive to earn money, we forget our duties. He didn’t and he became known to the world, doing what? Building houses that even the labor class can afford.