Theorist

Laurie Baker

1917–2007 Cost-effective sustainable architecture

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Dwelling Production

Details

Nationality: British-Indian

Classifications

Holder: Communal intergenerational
Source of authority: ObservationLived experience
Subject: Human centred
Political position: Subaltern resistant
Mode of transmission: Apprenticeship
Knowledge type: Relational embodied
Epistemic cluster: Western philosophicalSouth asian

Notes

[DRAFT] British-born Indian architect called the 'Gandhi of architecture'. A Quaker influenced by Gandhi, he championed cost-effective, energy-efficient masonry using brick jali screens, local materials and minimal-waste construction in Kerala. Naturalised Indian citizen in 1988.

Connections

proposed Appropriate Technology

Sources

Gautam Bhatia. Laurie Baker: Life, Work, Writings. Penguin Books India, 1991.

Cite this entry

First published May 2026Last revised Jul 2026

CLAD. "Laurie Baker." Atlas of Architectural Thought. CLAD, 2026. https://www.cl-ad.com.au/research/atlas/theorist/laurie-baker/. Accessed July 17, 2026.