Baker’s life is a legend. He belongs to a rare species of scholars who found the roots of wisdom in common man. Laurence
Wilfred Baker was born in England in 1917. He had his education from King Edwards Grammar School, Aston. After
studying at the Birmingham School of Architecture, he became an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He
started his career as an anaesthetist to Friends Ambulance Unit, S. England during the world war and worked in China and
Burma.
As an architect to a leprosy mission, he came to India in 1945 where he was exposed to an entirely new environment. He
was fascinated to see the skills of the ordinary, poor village people working with the most unpromising and crude materials
with almost no recognizable tools to make useful everyday buildings and articles.
In 1948, Baker married Elizabeth Jacob, a like minded doctor from Kerala and settled down in remote area of the Himalayas
to run their own schools and hospitals – mixture of medical and architectural work there for more than one and a half
decade.
The land and its people enlightened his ideas and the compendium of information from ordinary people enriched his vision.
He discovered a hidden heritage in local indigenous style of architecture, the result of thousands and thousands of years of
research and collective experience of many generations on how to use only immediately available, local materials to make
structurally stable buildings that could cope with local climatic conditions, with the local geography and topography, with all
the hazards of nature, with possible hostile neighbours, houses that could accommodate all the requirements of local religious,
social and cultural patterns of living. He learnt about more and more local materials and devised new patterns using burnt
bricks, stone, mud, tiles and timber and applied new kinds of mortar and plaster in his works.
Baker abhorred all forms of extravagance and waste. Two important characteristics evolved in Baker’s architecture- the
small is not only beautiful but if often essential and even more important than large, and if architects are even to start
interacting effectively with the real building problems and the housing needs of the world, they must learn to build as
inexpensive as possible. The ideal is that there is a form of direct unity with the creator, that man experiences this at any time,
in any place and under any circumstances.
For a number of reasons, the Baker’s pulled up their roots from the Himalayas and moved to Kerala and settled in a remote
mountain area among the neglected tribal and settlers. Baker’s interest and work spread and concentrated more o housing
and rural development work. Some Industrial buildings in North and Mid-India, a lot of Churches and Cathedral were his
important contribution during this period.
By this time the Government moved in to examine what is going on. The then Chief Minister C. Achutha Menon became a
convert to his architectural style and baker built the State Institute of Languages for a small sum of money which the works
and housing department had declared was impossible. Following this a fairly large and prestigious complex known as
Centre for Development Studies and some other Government Institutions were constructed by him.
The people were quick to understand the principles involved in cost reduction and real priorities of building a house. The
upper strata came forward with interest when quite a lot of them built their houses using these simple cost reducing techniques.
For the lower middle class this style was rewarding as hey can construct a house within their reach.
As a popular specialist in the cost effective building and conservation of energy by avoiding energy intensive materials – with
a stress on updating the wonderful Indian vernacular ways and styles of building, Baker brought people close to their
culture. Through out his working life, the whole business planning and designing has been intensely absorbing and fun for
him. Always living close to nature he learned many lessons from the design of God’s creations. He has produced innumerable
designs each has a unique identity whether big or small. He breaks all conventions of shape. The free flowing lines and
graceful curves in his design create a harmonious atmosphere for living. His buildings invite the dweller to be part of it.
Planning of space in design is an important factor in cost reducing construction. In a country with 40 million homeless it is
improper to use money, natural resources or energy lavishly or unnecessarily.
As an architect of vision and vast experience Baker is ac active participant of various Government schemes. He is and has
been advisor to planning and Governing bodies of institutions like HUDCO, NID, CBRI, FRI, UPDESCO etc. and has
been active with and designed for Milk Marketing Board, Livestock Development Board. He is honorary fellow of the
Centre for Development Studies.
