Exhibition being conducted as part of centenary celebrations of architect Laurie Baker

An exhibition of cost-effective and sustainable building solutions is being held at the Suryakanti grounds in the capital city as part of the centenary celebrations of architect Laurie Baker. The week-long exhibition provides both live demonstrations of some of the building techniques and a wealth of information on methods that are not so common in these parts.

One of the stalls is that of Centre of Science and Technology For Rural Development (COSTFORD), the organisation which was co-founded by Baker to promote cost-effective housing. It has details on the various construction methods used by its architects and the major projects taken up in various categories, including high-income group and low-income group housing, commercial buildings and institutional buildings.

The stall of Hunnarshala Foundation of Gujarat showcases its work with various communities in disaster and slum rehabilitation projects. The Foundation has been carrying out slum rehabilitation in Bhuj in Gujarat. It had also worked on rehabilitation projects during the Bhuj earthquake, Kosi floods and the Muzaffarnagar riots.

A series of posters on various building techniques is another highlight. This includes methods like Rat-trap bonding (vertical placement of bricks) and filler slab roofing, which were pioneered by Baker, as well as methods like wattle and daub walling and adobe mud blocks.

Baker’s projects

Quite a few stalls are dedicated to Baker’s life history, his projects and his building methods. In addition, there are more than 50 stalls on energy conservation, soil conservation and waste management. The stalls include those of Thanal, ANERT, Good Earth, IRDC, Gram Vikas, Uravu, Grameena Padana Kendram, Habitat and Nirmithi Kendra.

In the afternoons, architecture students are involved in showcasing various construction methods. A sample building of the type that would be built under the LIFE (Livelihood, Inclusion, Financial Empowerment) housing mission of the State government is also being built here. The exhibition will be on till March 11.