Baker on 'Laurie Baker Architecture'"Columbus is reputed to have discovered America, but a large number of people had been already living there without the publicity of his discovery for a very long time. Similarly, when I made my own little personal discoveries, I realised that I had merely chanced to find an extensive set of building systems which were in no way 'discoveries' to more than five hundred million people! I wanted to make use of this new knowledge in my own work. Perhaps it was as well that my employers brushed it all aside as a romantic notion for I realised I was merely a witness these apparently endless indigenous skills and was in no way capable of implementing them so early after my 'discoveries'. Rather reluctantly I had to return to my drawing board and design 'proper' buildings. I can't say that the result of my latest education was wasted. I learnt more about the more acceptable local materials, with new (to me) ways of using burnt brick, stone, tiles and timber. I also used new kinds of mortar and plaster and, as much as possible, tried to design my buildings in such a way that they would not be offensive or inaccessible to my real clients, users of the buildings and so that they would fit it with local tiles and not be an offense to the eyes of the people with whom I had chosen to live with. I think this was probably the second biggest step towards what (if there really such a thing) is described as a Laurie Baker architecture." (Unpublished)Courtesy : Design & People E: support@designandpeople.org W: www.designandpeople.org
Laurie Baker's sustainable architecture was greatly inspired by Mahatma Gandhi when he first visited India in 1944. Since then, it was no looking back for him. His techniques in construction industry was a marvel. More than 90% of his architecture's are without the use use plasters and cement.
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