Humble, just as his building materials made of earth, Architect Laurie Baker is truly The Gandhi of Architecture who believed in life and architecture that is simple & true to its context. The English Architect found his affinity to the indigenous lifestyle ever since the early years. It only got amplified with exposure to Gandhi’s principles during the time he spent in India.

“It was also from the influence of Mahatma Gandhi I learned that the real people you should be building for, and who are in need, are the ‘ordinary’ people — those living in villages and in the congested areas of our cities.” –Laurie Baker

The understanding of the ‘ordinary’ lives of people paved the way for exploration of the regional architectural ideologies that responded with workability and affordability to the users. The Architect took his missionary life further when he and his wife decided to stay at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand to serve the locals in the Himalayan town. During the period, he developed various solutions to the people that helped him explore and understand the indigenous principles primarily involving usage of locally available resources, which later became his strong principle.
‘The Baker Style’ involved extensive understanding of regional conditions, inculcation of effective functionality and productive life of the building across seasons. Brick and terracotta products, being the regional natural building materials were the primary resources. He developed various techniques using these resources that enhanced the building performance with better response to environmental conditions.

“Bricks to me are like faces. All of them are made of burnt mud, but they vary slightly in shape and color. I think these small variations give tremendous character to a wall made of thousands of bricks, so I never dream of covering such a unique and characterful creation with plaster, which is mainly dull and characterless. I like the contrast of textures of brick, of stone, of concrete, of wood” -Laurie Baker.

He believes in giving ‘life’ to the buildings through the expression of the natural state of the materials. Exposed brick, terracotta tiles, etc. add a natural touch to the building, creating the beauty of its own. He further experimented with these materials that had a greater impact on the user experience, such as the Brick Jali works and fillers with recycled materials that brought in the bright sun rays of Indian landscapes in various patterns.

Text extracted from Rethinking the future
Photography by: Ar. Viraj Gapchoop