LAURIE BAKER

by:mahitha.r

His approach and simple principles to low cost housing are

Gandhian, which can be adopted by every builder. The
following are the mainstay of design and construction of
his houses.
Planning of space lesser walls, multiple uses of space,
short spans of roof, agglomeration of building services,
flexibility in growth.
Local building material bricks, tiles, lime, surkhi,
timber, thatch, stone, palm, mud.
Bricks and jalis play of light and shade, unidirectional
vision.
Unplastered walls.
Lintels and arches.
Attention to details.

Bakers
works
include,
private
residences,
some
institutional
buildings, like center for development
studies, Kerala. He is very active in
the works of all the building centers
working in Kerala as well as in the
other parts of country. Rather it was
his initial effort to promote the low
cost housing in India, where housing is
a big problem.
His techniques not only use cheaper
materials
but
also
eliminate
unnecessary details from the design.
Concrete is sparingly used. Mangalore
tiles are used for the roof which
makes it light and inexpensive.

Masonry Dome
Advantages
Energy saving eco-friendly
compressive roof.
Decorative & Highly
Economical for larges spans.
Maintenance free

Funnicular shell

Advantages
Energy saving eco-friendly compressive
roof.
Decorative & Economical
Maintenance free

Jack Arch
Advantages
Energy saving & Eco-Friendly
compressive roofing.
Decorative & Highly Economical
Maintenance free

The Hamlet
his residence

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

BAKERS HOUSE, THE HAMLET

Bakers own residence is
called The Hamlet. It has
been
built
in
Thiruvananthapuram, built on
a steeply sloping and rocky
hillside that hardly had any
vegetation
when
Baker
started constructing.
Baker has truly adopted his
motto to make low-cost a
habit and a way of life by
reusing everything, from brick
to glass bottles, as building
materials.
Key features of his house are:
All the walls are made of mud bricks.
Timber salvaged from an old boat
jetty.

One of the other signature

elements of his design
includes the use of circular
walls, which use far less
brick than rectangular walls.
In addition, when he does
use concrete for a roof, he
embeds chipped or broken
terra cotta roofing tiles into
the mixture.
These tiles, which normally
would be thrown away,
contribute to the strength
of the roof, allow less of the
expensive concrete to be
used,
and
reduce
the
structural load of the
building.
He used broken tiles for the
outer paved area of his
garden.

He made an extensive use of

timber in his house, like in the
living room of house, the
detailing in wood and mud
bricks are wonderful.
The living room, An integration
of new building and salvaged
timber
from
traditional
buildings that were being
demolished.
Baker's innovative use of
discarded bottles, inset in the
walls giving a very good effect
of light and creating an illusion
of stained glass.

PLAN AND ELEVATION

FIRST FLOOR

GROUND FLOO

STEPS LEADING
UP TO FRONT
DOOR

A VIEW FROM THE

OPPOSITE SIDE

STEPS DIRECTLY
CUT IN ROCK

ENTRANCE HAS
SMALL SITTING
AREA FOR GUESTS

THE WALL IS
DECORATED FROM
BROKEN POTTERY,
PENS, GLASS

A CALLING BELL FOR

VISITORS TO ANNOUNCE
THEIR PRESENCE

A MORNING AT HEMLET

INTERIOR

USE OF NATURAL LIGHT

USE OF NATURAL LIGHT

INNER COURTYARD CLOSE TO NATURE

NEVER CUT TREES INSTEAD ADAPTED HIS

DESIGN ACCORDINGLY

ARCHES LED INTO

A BEAUTIFUL
OPEN ROOM

COURTYARD HAS
MANY GARDENS
AND PONDS

Pitched roof
made of
manglore
tiles

BAKERS
FONDNESS OF
ARCHES

SIMPLE YET
BEAUTIFUL
WINDOWS

GABLES FOR PROPER

AIR CIRCULATION
AND VENTILATION

GRILL MADE OF BITS AND PIECES

CONICAL STRUCTURE USED

COST EFFECTIVE
BAKERS WINDOW

Louvered window
typical of bakers
type

STAINED GLASS EFFECT

WATER TANK
FOR STORING
RAIN
HARVESTED
WATER

THANK YOU