all-housings-by-laurie baker a true architect of kerala

sustainable architecture

1. 1
Laurie Baker
Design:
Insights and Influences
P B Sajan
Architect And Jt Director
COSTFORD
Emerging Trends in Sustainable Habitat
And Integrated Cities
15
th
November 2014

2. Fishermen Colony, Thangasseri

3. •Discussion with District Collector and Harbour  
Engineering Department  officials
•Site  visit 
•Interaction  with  local people, particularly  elderly  
members to understand issues
•Understanding of existing settlement  pattern  and 
access  to the beach
•Beneficiary  interaction: held at nearest  school
•Land survey 
•Conceptual design
Design Process
Fishermen Colony, Thangasseri

4. 15 different designs
Fishermen Colony, Thangasseri

5. Concept  presentation before beneficiaries  using 
scaled model (Elected representatives  were present)
Scaled Model
Fishermen Colony, Thangasseri

6. •Incorporated initial feedback from  beneficiaries
•15 pilot houses  built
•Further interaction with beneficiaries
•A few changes  suggested
•Suggestions incorporated
•Implementation of 158 houses
Feedback
Fishermen Colony, Thangasseri

7. Fishermen Colony, Thangasseri

8. Fishermen Colony, Thangasseri

9. Fishermen Colony, Thangasseri

10. Fishermen Colony, Thangasseri

11. Fishermen Colony, Thangasseri

12. Fishermen Colony, Thangasseri

13. MamanaOoru,  Attapadi(2002)

14. •In the ‘70s, 40 houses were constructed by the
GovernmentofKerala
•Surveyconductedin2002byCOSTFORD
•Only8houseswerefoundtobehabitable,withnecessary
maintenance
Earlier interventions
Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

15. •Concept  advocated  by Laurie Baker
•Not type designs
•Different  families have  different needs ‐area of the 
house  dictated by the number of occupants –‘Per 
Capita’
•Design  for each family  on the basis of the needs of the 
members  of the house
•AHADS  (Attapadi Hill Area  Development Society)  
decided to implement it with people’s consent  in 
Mamana
“Per capita” approach
Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

16. •Socio economic survey  was first  conducted in 
2002 along with OVS members 
•Contour surveying was also done
•Several discussions were conducted with the 
beneficiaries  and their needs and problems  were 
ascertained
•Layout and individual houses  designed 
•Discussion with beneficiaries
•Redesign based on feedback
Design  Process
Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

17. Design  Process
Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

18. •Refused initially suggested mud and bamboo
construction
•Unplastered brick walls and filler concrete roofs
accepted
Changed preferences
•
Influenced by AHADS
Headquarters campus
built with same
techniques
Changed  Preferences
Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

19. •Shortage  of drinking water  
•Environmental degradation
•Preference  for level ground adjacent  to their 
houses,  for growing  herbs and vegetables
•Ancillary  building provisions  required
Other  issues
Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

20. •39 houses designed, in addition to the 8 houses 
retained 
•Measures incorporated along  with the housing 
construction 
•Water  harvesting
•Soil conservation  and slope stabilizing measures
Additional Factors
Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

21. •Series of clusters  of varying sizes, to suit  the terrain and for 
close  interaction between the people
•An open  air stage and auditorium were incorporated  
towards the middle of the layout to enhance community 
interaction
•Other structures –anganvadi, religious  building and 
common  cattle  sheds  constructed, 
Present Layout
Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

22. •Series  of open tanks and under ground  tanks,  with 
a capacity  of over  7 lakh litres  were built to catch 
and store rain water and water could overflow 
from the upper tanks to the lower  tanks
Layout Level Water Harvesting
Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

23. Water harvesting  Tank
Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

24. Water Harvesting  Household level
Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

25. •Rainwater  conservation
•Roads  and pathways inside the hamlet
•Nutrition gardens
•Planting  of fruit trees
•Common cattle shed
•Smokeless  chulha
Integrated planning
Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

26. Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

27. Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

28. Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

29. Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

30. Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

31. Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

32. Mamana Ooru, Attappadi

33. Slum development

34. CHENKALCHOOLA
BLOCK DESIGN –GF Plan

35. CHENKALCHOOLA
BLOCK DESIGN –GF Plan

36. CHENKALCHOOLA
Block Design –FF Plan

37. CHENKALCHOOLA
Block Design –SF Plan Block Design –SF Plan

38. CHENKALCHOOLA
RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS
Each block is designed for
accommodation 10 families
•Ground floor 5 families
•First floor 3 families
•Second floor 2 families

39. CHENKALCHOOLA
FLAT
•35m
2
•2 bedrooms, multipurpose
room, kitchen, toilet
•Openareas
GF–designatedgroundspaces
FF&SF–openterrace
•Watertap,sink,work
slab,chimneyinkitchens
•Watertap,closetintoilets
•Onelightpointinallrooms–6nos
•Fanpoints–2nos

40. CHENKALCHOOLA

41. CHENKALCHOOLA
RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS

42. Sustainable Habitat  Development
Community based  
& 
Integrated Approach
Theultimate objective
Improving  the Quality of Life

43. Sustainable Habitat  Development
•Participatory planning
•Local conditions and preferences 
•Target women and children
•Service delivery  on individual
household basis
•Involvement  in all stages of 
service delivery

44. Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram

45. Population: 2341 nos. (632 families)
Extent : 9.73 acres
Existing condition
Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram

46. Housing and Settlement pattern
500+  families live in closely packed, dilapidated shacks in a 
highly degraded environment
Existing condition
Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram

47. 72 families had been provided with 
habitable  houses 20 years ago
Existing condition
Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram

48. T
opography
•Site lies 60 cm below the existing roads
•Slight slope  toward the sewage collection pond
Existing condition
Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram

49. Major  issue •During monsoons, storm
water enters the city
sewage system and
reaches the sewage
collectionpond
•Any overflow floods the
colony
•Leads to further decay
anddisease
Existing condition
Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram

50. 20 dwelling units  in 4 storied block: Karimadom 
Laurie  Baker’s  conceptual design, 
‘Are slums inevitable?’, 1996

51. Residential  Block   ‐Floor Plans
Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram
first floor plan
Ground floor plan

52. Residential  Block   ‐Floor Plans Residential  Block   ‐Floor Plans
Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram
third floor plan
fourth floor plan

53. Outcome of detailed survey
Phases in Construction
Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram

54. KARIMADOM COLONY
ONGOING UPGRADATION

55. Final design of initial stage

56. KARIMADOM COLONY
ONGOING UPGRADATION

57. Stages in design of main layout
Option 1

58. Stages in design of main layout
Option 2

59. Selected final main layout
Option 3

60. Endeavors  in Inclusion
•Preliminary survey
–Data  collected  by  women from within colony itself 
having minimum +2 education
•Preparation  of preliminary design
•Presentation before beneficiaries
–Over 3 days
–All families allotted  dates
–Time of presentation 5‐6 pm
•Purpose of presentation
–Collection of feedback
–Clearing of doubts regarding design  and phasing 
–Ensuring involvement  of beneficiaries
Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram

61. Proposed  facilities
Services •Water Supply 
•Rejuvenation of Pond
•Biogas Plant
•Sanitation 
•Electricity  
•Drainage
•Rainwater harvesting
Community Facilities •Play Areas
•Study Center Cum Library  
•Anganwadi
•Multipurpose Open  
Spaces  Others •Bio fencing
•Smokeless Chula
•Earth Filling
•Retaining Wall
•Tree planting and Landscaping 
in Multipurpose  Open  Spaces 
Social Amenities •Market  
•Kiosks
•Community  Cluster  center Housing –28 blocks,  560 DU
Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram

62. Beyond  the built environment
•Detailed Survey
‐Social  development  work –health, 
livelihood, education needs
•Strengthening existing neighbourhood 
groups
•Formation of boys and girls clubs
•Study groups
Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram

63. Collaborative intervention
COSTFORD and Kudumbasree 
Outcome  of detailed survey
•Health –Palliative care
•Livelihood –Production centres for bakery  
items, tailoring unit with marketing
•Education –Meeting with teachers, provision of 
study centres
•Waste management units
Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram

64. Karimadom, Thiruvananthapuram

65. Trends in slum development
The future
Even further………

66. Planning an EWS colony layout
Kalladimugham

69. Design Modifications

70. Type 3 –4 DU/floor
Type 1 –3 DU/floor
Type 2 –3 DU/floor

71. Type 1 –3 DU/floor
Type 3 –3 DU/floor
Type 2 –3 DU/floor
Kalladimugham
3 type designs

72. Proposed Layout ‐Kalladimugham

73. Including other aspects….

74. Karimadom Karimadom Karimadom Karimadom Karimadom Karimadom
Conclusion
•Chenkalchoola
•Intervention confined to construction only.
•Involvement in construction and interaction resulted in
valuable feedback from beneficiaries
•Karimadom
•Design and layout modified in initial design stage to cater
to previous feedback regarding beneficiary aspirations
•Further modifications done based on further discussions
with beneficiaries and other stakeholders
•A comprehensive, community based design evolved

75. Karimadom Karimadom Karimadom Karimadom Karimadom Karimadom
Conclusion
Evident progressive changes in
design and levels of intervention
based on cumulative learning
throughinclusiveplanning
Providing flexibility in the built
environment for further social and
economicalinputs

76. Chenkalchoola, 2006

77. Chenkalchoola, 2010

78. The future……….

79. SLUMS are a
SHAME
and a
DISGRACE
NOT
to those who have
to live in one
But to US
–
Planners, Architects, Builders &
Contractors, our Government
departments, others in authority,
AND
All of us who pass by on the
other side of the road and
pretend that a slum is none of our
business.
Laurie Baker

80. Thank you……….