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The Characteristic Elements Of Baker's Style.
BY Pratiksha Porwal.           

While the jalis, the traditional roofs, the stepped arches, the overhanging eaves and the skylights etc., are some of the well-known elements that characterize Baker's style, it is his high regard for nature that makes him unique.

In any project, Baker is particularly sensitive to the existing contours and the other elements present on the site. Before planning anything; the location of each tree is taken into consideration. Even the levels in his design are not artificially created but are made to follow existing contours or steep slopes on the site.

Baker strongly believes in the optimum use of the locally available materials, which are appropriate to the existing climatic conditions. The local materials like brick, tile, lime, palm thatch, stone, granite and laterite thus replace the conventional steel and glass of modern architecture. These materials suit the hot, wet and humid climate of Kerala and also encourage minimal use of non-renewable resources. Also the small-scale industries required for the manufacturing, cutting, polishing, and other various treatment of theses materials help in increasing the employment amongst the poor localities.

Concrete is rarely used; most often in a folded slab design. The waste and discarded tiles are used as fillers, thereby making the roof light and inexpensive. Baker also innovated different bonding techniques for brick, which allowed him to build of half- brick thickness. To add rigidity, many a times these walls were designed in a stepped or curved form.
 

Glass windows, frames and sills are replaced by traditional jalis. One can easily recognize Baker's structures by the presence of jalis on them. The jali used in Baker's structure, is a perforated screen made of bricks. The bricks are placed in a peculiar fashion so as to produce tiny regular openings in the walls. These jalis can be designed in various patterns as desired. This jali catches light and air and diffuses glare; while allowing for privacy and security; thus acting as a window and a ventilator both at the same time. It encourages airflow, yet the construction of this form of ventilation requires neither special materials nor special skills.

The spanned openings in a brick wall are made economical by using 'stepped' or 'corbelled' arch. In this technique the bricks on each course are cantilevered out a few inches beyond the course below, until the required span is reached. In case of a rectangular opening reinforced brickwork is used which capitalizes on the composite action of the lintel with the masonry above.

Where contemporary architects seek to impose control on nature by shutting it out with the advantage of artificial ventilation and temperature control system; Baker does exactly the opposite. Being sensitive to nature; he skillfully manipulates the natural elements to gain thermal comfort. In the canteen of Center of Development Studies; the high latticed brick walls and a pond are used to draw air across it's surface and cool the building - a cooling system achieved in a vernacular way. Also by gently stepping up the singly loaded building at C.D.S., he attempts to create continuous breezeways to temper the humid climate in a deceptively simple way.[C.ELDOC.6009465]

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"I think it's a waste of money to level a well moulded site..... If only we didn't level sites, and eliminate trees but instead plan to go around them; then we wouldn't get the long monotonous rows of houses to begin with ……."

"My clients have always been Indian. I have not even had foreign returned to deal with, since I work primarily with the poor and I have always wanted to give people what they want and what they need which obviously all Indian. My feeling is that you’re not trying to put up a monument which will be remembered as ‘Laurie Baker Building, but Mohan Singh’s house where he can live happily with his family."