For other people named Laurie Baker, see Laurie Baker (disambiguation).
Laurence Wilfred Baker
Drawing of Laurie Baker
Born
(1917-03-02)2 March 1917
Birmingham, England
Died
1 April 2007(2007-04-01) (aged 90)
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Nationality
Indian
Occupation
Architect
Awards
Padma Shri, MBE
Buildings
School of Drama & Fine Arts Theatre (Thrissur), Centre for Development Studies (Trivandrum), Literacy Village (Lucknow), Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) (Coimbatore), Chitralekha Film Studio (Aakulam), The Indian Coffee House (Trivandrum), Pallikoodam School (Kottayam), Loyola Chapel & Auditorium (Trivandrum), Attapadi Hill Area Development Society (Attapadi), DakshinaChitra (Chennai), Chengalchoola Slum dwelling units (Trivandrum), Nirmithi Kendra (Aakulam), Tourist Centre (Ponmudi), Mitraniketan (Vagamon)
Website
lauriebaker.net
Lawrence Wilfred "Laurie" Baker (2 March 1917 – 1 April 2007) was a British-born Indian architect, renowned for his initiatives in cost-effective energy-efficient architecture and designs that maximized space, ventilation and light and maintained an uncluttered yet striking aesthetic sensibility. Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and his own experiences in the remote Himalayas, he promoted the revival of regional building practices and use of local materials; and combined this with a design philosophy that emphasized a responsible and prudent use of resources and energy. He was a pioneer of sustainable architecture as well as organic architecture, incorporating in his designs even in the late 1960s, concepts such as rain-water harvesting, minimizing usage of energy-inefficient building materials, minimizing damage to the building site and seamlessly merging with the surroundings. Due to his social and humanitarian efforts to bring architecture and design to the common man, his honest use of materials, his belief in simplicity in design and in life, and his staunch Quaker belief in non-violence, he has been called the "Gandhi of architecture".[1]
He moved to India in 1945 in part as an architect associated with a leprosy mission and continued to live and work in India for over 50 years. He became an Indian citizen in 1989 and resided in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kerala from 1969 and served as the Director of COSTFORD (Centre of Science and Technology for Rural Development), an organisation to promote low-cost housing.
In 1981, the Royal University of the Netherlands conferred an honour (the previous recipient of this honour, in 1980, was Hassan Fathy of Egypt) upon him for outstanding work in a Third World country. In 1983 he was conferred with an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) at Buckingham Palace. In 1990, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri for his meritorious service in the field of architecture. In 1992, he was awarded the Roll of Honour by the United Nations. In 1988, he was granted Indian citizenship, the only honour he actively pursued in his life.
^Jain Ak (2010). "Humble, humane and harmonious houses of Laurie Baker". International Journal of Environmental Studies. 67 (5): 781–794. Bibcode:2010IJEnS..67..781J. doi:10.1080/00207233.2010.517297. S2CID 110568026.
Lawrence Wilfred "Laurie" Baker (2 March 1917 – 1 April 2007) was a British-born Indian architect, renowned for his initiatives in cost-effective energy-efficient...
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jazz-rock band Sunship with guitarist Allan Holdsworth and bass player LaurieBaker, although Muir has admitted that they "spent more time laughing than...
British colonization. The museum's master plan was developed by architect LaurieBaker, free of cost, because of his interest in rural architectural design...
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of Kerala. Retrieved 22 January 2018. "A film on the life and work of LaurieBaker". Architectural Digest. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017....
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Törmänen Juha Ylönen Women's details United States (USA) Chris Bailey LaurieBaker Alana Blahoski Lisa Brown-Miller Karyn Bye Colleen Coyne Sara Decosta...
Frederick William Stevens Charles Wyatt Edwin Lutyens Herbert Baker Sunita Kohli LaurieBaker I. M. Kadri Claude Batley Christopher Charles Benninger Eulie...
travelled to Kerala to work closely with the world- renowned architect LaurieBaker, whom he greatly admired. After his course in architecture from School...
Gold Silver Bronze 1998 Nagano details United States (1) Chris Bailey LaurieBaker Alana Blahoski Lisa Brown-Miller Karyn Bye Colleen Coyne Sara Decosta...
designed and delivered by renowned architect and builder Padma Shri LaurieBaker . The K. N. Raj Library at CDS is one of the biggest repositories of...
architecture after a chance meeting with British-born, Indian architect LaurieBaker. After working with him for nine months, he started his own practice...
of the Virginia House of Burgesses Laurence Baker (disambiguation) Larry Baker (disambiguation) LaurieBaker (disambiguation) This disambiguation page lists...
11 Gold United States women's national ice hockey team Chris Bailey LaurieBaker Alana Blahoski Lisa Brown-Miller Karyn Bye Colleen Coyne Sara Decosta...
Alan Gowen, future King Crimson percussionist Jamie Muir and bassist LaurieBaker. They played live but never released any recorded material. Next came...
houses, As documented by William McKay Aitken and famed man of taste LaurieBaker. Berinag Tea estate was bought from Kedar Dutt Pant by Thakur Dan Singh...
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