Webinar - Laurie Baker and His Vision on Sustainability

In this video, Dr. Benny Kuriakose discusses his educational experience with Laurie Baker. He discusses the design of Laurie Baker Homes; the distinctiveness of Laurie Baker Construction Methods; the shaping of Laurie Baker Designs; the role of Laurie Baker Brick Works in design; and the use of concrete as a design element in his structures.

He discusses Laurie Baker's early years, how the desire to become an architect was planted in him, as well as his education and graduation. He stood out from the majority of people his age by refusing to enlist in the British army. He was dispatched to China to conduct missionary work in isolated towns. Additionally, he got to meet Gandhiji, which changed the course of his life. He was dispatched to India with the task of turning abandoned homes into hospitals. For more than 40 years, Baker used his design principles of simplicity, minimalism, and originality to create affordable, high-quality, aesthetically distinctive, and energy-efficient homes. He chose to use inexpensive, locally available, and renewable materials instead of imported ones.

We have an incredibly beautiful country with many indigenous styles of architecture. No other country has this range of beauty and interest that we have. The most important thing is that we do not destroy this, we do not take it away from it, and we do not foul it up. We should follow this tradition of creating beautiful buildings in India—quoted by Baker, says Benny.