A little over a week ago, Laurie, as he was called, passed on at the age of 90. He was considered "a pioneer in building cost-effective and environment-friendly houses for poor Indians by using traditional techniques, materials and crafts such as mud and thatch." For this alone, he will be missed. Read more about his legacy.
Architect Lawrence Wilfred Baker, credited with building thousands of low-cost houses in India, died at his home in Thiruvananthapuram yesterday at the age of 90, his family said.
Baker, popularly known as Laurie, was considered a pioneer in building cost-effective and environment-friendly houses for poor Indians by using traditional techniques, materials and crafts such as mud and thatch.
Born on March 2, 1917 in England, Baker came to India during British colonial rule in the mid-1940s and later settled with his Indian wife Elizabeth near Kerala capital Thiruvananthapuram.
An alumnus of the Birmingham School of Architecture, the Baker decided to work in India after a chance meeting with Mahatma Gandhi in Mumbai in 1944.
The Bakers worked in Pithorgarh of Uttar Pradesh for 16 years, before moving to Wagamon in Kerala.
Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, who led the mourners at Baker’s residence, said he would be laid to rest today with full state honours. “He’s a great visionary who revolutionised the housing sector of Kerala. His contributions in uplifting the lot of the homeless poor are unmatched. He will be remembered forever,” Achuthanandan said.
Many of the chief minister’s cabinet colleagues and leading intellectuals were among those who thronged ‘The Hamlet’, Baker’s residence which itself is a visual delight, to pay their last respects.
The homes designed by Baker dot the topography of different parts of Kerala. He also designed the prestigious Centre for Development Studies (CDS) buildings here in the early 1970s. Its eight-storied library building and the guesthouse manifest his creative best.
Architecture students from different parts of the country and abroad often come to see the CDS buildings. Baker’s exploits in building low-cost homes opened up a whole new world of architecture to those designers who wanted to think differently, like him.
“He was a father figure for all of us who are inspired by him. His life itself was a message,” G Shankar, Baker’s most famous disciple, said.
While conventional architects build homes that cost around Rs700 per sq ft, Baker’s homes cost less than half, and more importantly, did not involve waste of land or space.
A significant Baker feature was the irregular, pyramid-like structures on roofs, with one side left open and tilting into the wind. His designs had traditional Indian sloping roofs with gables and vents allowing rising hot air to escape. He promoted the use of brick, lime, tile, palm thatch, stone and local granite instead of steel, glass and concrete.
He was honoured with one of India’s top civilian awards, the Padmashree in 1990, the same year he became an Indian citizen.– Agencies
Published: Monday, 2 April, 2007, 09:11 AM Doha Time
2 Comments
A collection of responses that Laurie Baker made to questions on himself and his philosophy and architecture.
(via)
A great soul.
R.I.P
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.