The Hamlet

LAURIE BAKER’S HOUSE
“THE HAMLET”
LOW COST HOUSING
BY SWATHI.A.K
LOCATION OF “HAMLET”
 AN ARCHITECT’S PERSONALITY IS REFLECTED IN THE WAY HE DESIGN HIS OWN HOUSE. THE
HAMLET
 BAKER’S OWN RESIDENCE IS CALLED ‘THE HAMLET’. IT HAS BEEN BUILT IN
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, BUILT ON A STEEPLY SLOPING AND ROCKY HILLSIDE THAT HARDLY
HAD ANY VEGETATION WHEN BAKER STARTED CONSTRUCTING.
 BAKER HAS TRULY ADOPTED HIS MOTTO TO “MAKE LOW-COSTERY A HABIT AND A WAY OF
LIFE” BY REUSING EVERYTHING, FROM BRICK TO GLASS BOTTLES, AS BUILDING MATERIALS.
ABOUT THE SITE
 THE SITE WAS HIGHLY CONTOURED AND
ROCKY, BUT BAKER DID NOT DISTURB
EVEN A SINGLE ROCK OR A TREE, SO IT IS
POPULARLY NAMED AS “RIGHT IN THE
ROCKS”.
 THE HAMLET’ HAS BEEN BUILT ON A
STEEPLY CONTOURED SITE, BUT THE
INCURSION OF STRUCTURES ON THE SITE
IS NOT FELT.
 BAKER HAS MANAGED TO CONFINE THIS
BUILDING TO AN AREA THAT IS EASILY
ACCESSIBLE& YET SECLUDED BY THE
HEAVY FOLIAGE
 THE JOURNEY TO BAKERS HOME IS LIKE FROM A CONCRETE JUNGLE OF TRIVANDRUM TO
THE FRESHNESS & SHADE OF THE SUBURBS
 THIS IS REMARKABLE AND UNIQUE HOUSE BUILT ON A PLOT OF LAND ALONG THE SLOPE OF A
ROCKY HILL, WITH LIMITED ACCESS TO WATER
THIS WAS THE INITIAL DESIGN OF THE HAMLET
DRAWINGS
OF HAMLET
FIRST HE
BUILT A
SINGLE ROOM
HUT OF
TIMBER,
WHICH
CONSISTS OF
ELEVATION THE LIBRARY
FIRST FLOOR PLAN OF MEDICAL
BO OKS &
ALSO AS BED
RO OM, LIVING
RO OM ,
DRAWING
RO OM &
STUDY.
LATER SO ME
ALTERATIO NS
GROUND FLOOR PLAN TOOK PLACE.
SECTION
ROOM ADDITION
ADDITION PLAN OF THE NEW ROOM THAT IS

ADDED TO THE INITIAL PLAN
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
STEPS DIRECTLY CUT IN ROCK

 ENTRANCE HAS SMALL SITTING AREA FOR GUESTS
THE WALL IS DECORATED FROM BROKEN POTTERY, PENS, GLASS
 A CALLING BELL FOR VISITORS TO ANNOUNCE THEIR PRESENCE
 USE OF NATURAL LIGHT
NEVER CUT TREES INSTEAD ADAPTED HIS DESIGN ACCORDINGLY
 INNER COURTYARD …CLOSE TO NATURE
ARCHES LED INTO A BEAUTIFUL OPEN ROOM
COURTYARD HAS MANY GARDENS AND PONDS
 PITCHED ROOF MADE OF MANGALORE TILES
 BAKER’S FONDNESS OF ARCHES
GABLES FOR PROPER AIR CIRCULATION AND VENTILATION
 SIMPLE YET BEAUTIFUL WINDOWS
 GRILL MADE OF BITS AND PIECES
 CONICAL STRUCTURE USED
COST EFFECTIVE BAKER’S WINDOW
 LOUVERED WINDOW TYPICAL OF BAKER’S TYPE
STAINED GLASS EFFECT
WATER TANK FOR STORING RAIN HARVESTED WATER
MATERIAL USED FROM UNCONVENTIONAL SOURCES
 FAMILY EATS IN KITCHEN
 ELECTRICITY WIRING IS NOT CONCEALED
DETAILS
EVEN THE DOG HAS A WELL
PLACED JALI TO LET THE
MORNING LIGHT FILTER IN
DOOR BELL
THIS DOOR IS MADE FROM TWO

TRADITIONAL OLD KERALA DOORS WHEN AN
OLD BUILDING WAS TORN DOWN WHICH NEWSPAPER POCKET
BAKER BOUGHT AND JOINED TOGETHER TO
CREATE THIS UNIQUE DOOR
DOG HOUSE THIS NIECERIE WAS BUILT FOR
BAKER’S FOUR NIECES
EVEN THE DOG HAS A
WELL PLACED JALI
DOG HOUSE AND THE
TO LET THE MORNING
ROUND-SHAPED NIECERIE
LIGHT FILTER
BAKER WAS VERY FOND OF BEAUTIFUL CARVINGS

WHICH WERE USUALLY LOST WHEN OLD
TRADITIONAL KERALA HOUSES WERE DESTROYED
TO MAKE ‘MODERN’ ONES
LIVING ROOM
HE MADE AN EXTENSIVE USE OF TIMBER IN HIS
HOUSE, LIKE IN THE LIVING ROOM OF HOUSE, THE
DETAILING IN WOOD AND MUD BRICKS ARE
WONDERFUL.
BAKER ALWAYS
DESIGNED TO UTILIZE
SUNLIGHT EFFECTIVELY
AND MINIMIZE THE NEED
FOR ARTIFICIAL
LIGHTING
THE LIVING ROOM, AN INTEGRATION

OF NEW BUILDING AND SALVAGED
TIMBER FROM TRADITIONAL
BUILDINGS THAT WERE BEING
DEMOLISHED.
THE BAKER’S BEDROOM
RESEMBLES A LONG
RAILWAY COMPARTMENT
GABLES FOR PROPER
AIR CIRCULATION AND
USE OF NATURAL VENTILATION
LIGHT IN THE
INTERIORS
INTEGRATED
FURNITURE
INTERIOR VIEW OF BAKER’S
BEDROOM
OTHER FEATURES
TYPICAL TRADITIONAL
TILING USED IN SOUTH ANOTHER COST EFFECTIVE
INDIA MOSTLY IN AREAS BAKER WINDOW
A TRADITIONAL KERALA WHERE SLOPED
WINDOW
SIMPLE YET BEAUTIFUL WINDOWS OF BAKER’S TYPE MADE FROM WASTE

WOODEN PLANKS AND GRILLS MADE OF THROWN AWAY METAL PIECES
BAKER'S
INNOVATIVE USE OF
DISCARDED
BOTTLES, INSET IN
THE WALLS GIVING
A VERY GOOD
EFFECT OF LIGHT
AND CREATING AN STAINED GLASS EFFECT
ILLUSION OF
STAINED GLASS
CREATIVE WALL FIXTURES
AN IMPROVISED BAKER’S
GRILL MADE OF BITS AND
PIECES INCLUDING A PIECE
WATER TANK FOR OF CLUTCH PLATE
STORING RAIN
A JALI WALL HARVESTED WATER
IRREGULAR, PYRAMID-LIKE
STRUCTURES ON ROOFS, WITH
ONE SIDE LEFT OPEN AND
TILTING INTO THE WIND.
STEPS LEADING UP TO
FRONT DOOR
BAKER HAS CUT THE STEP

NEVER CUT TREES INSTEAD DIRECTLY INTO THE ROCK
ELECTRICITY WIRING
ADAPTED HIS DESIGN FACE OF THE SLOPING PLOT
IS NOT CONCEALED
ACCORDINGLY OF LAND
A CALLING BELL FOR VISITORS TO ANNOUNCE
THEIR PRESENCE
THE WALL IS DECORATED FROM

BROKEN POTTERY, PENS,
GLASS
ENTRANCE HAS SMALL

INNER COURTYARD …CLOSE
SITTING AREA FOR GUESTS
TO NATURE
USE OF NATURAL LIGHT
PITCHED ROOF MADE
OF MANGALORE TILES
BAKER’S
FONDNESS OF
ARCHES
COURTYARD HAS MANY
GARDENS AND PONDS
BAKER EXTENSIVELY USED

ARCHES LED INTO A BEAUTIFUL ARCHED TO LEND STRUCTURAL
OPEN ROOM STRENGTH TO HIS BUILDINGS
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
 USING CORBELLING INSTEAD OF

A LINTEL ABOVE THE FRAME, THIS
REDUCES THE COST OF THE R.C.C
LINTEL.
 USING LESS NUMBER OF BRICKS
TO MAKE A WALL OF SAME
THICKNESS AND PROVIDING
CAVITIES IN BETWEEN FOR
INSULATION.
 HE USED JALIS WHICH HAD MANY

ADVANTAGES, SUCH AS VENTILATION,
ENOUGH LIGHT, LESS MATERIAL REQUIRED.
 REDUCING THE UNNECESSARY COST OF A
WINDOW WITH A SHUTTER
 USING ‘JALI’ IN HIS WALLS FOR PROPER
CROSS VENTILATION, ENOUGH SUN LIGHT
ETC
 THE UPTURNED, HORNED ROOFS OF BUILDINGS AS FOUND IN KERALA ARE THE
DIRECT RESULT OF THE PEOPLE OF THOSE PLACES, THEY KNEW THAT HOT AIR
RISES & ALLOWED IT TO TRAVEL UPWARDS FROM THE LOW EAVES TO THE
OPENINGS AT THE ENDS OF THE HIGH RIDGE.
 THEY UNDERSTOOD AND APPLIED PRINCIPLES OF INSULATION; THEN ROOFING
MATERIALS FORMED HOLLOW CELLULAR PROTECTIVE LAYERS.
 LAURIE BAKER USED MATERIAL FROM OTHER DEMOLISHED STRUCTURES. WOOD
PLANKS FROM AN OLD BOAT JETTY. HE EVEN USED OLD BOTTLES IN A STRUCTURE,
WHICH GIVES A DIFFERENT EFFECT.
 BAKER CREATES A VARIETY OF TEXTURES AND PATTERNS BY SIMPLE
MANIPULATION OF THE WAY IN WHICH BRICKS ARE PLACED IN THE WALL.
THANK YOU

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LAURIE BAKER’S HOUSE

ADDITION PLAN OF THE NEW ROOM THAT IS

STEPS DIRECTLY CUT IN ROCK

THIS DOOR IS MADE FROM TWO

BAKER WAS VERY FOND OF BEAUTIFUL CARVINGS

THE LIVING ROOM, AN INTEGRATION

SIMPLE YET BEAUTIFUL WINDOWS OF BAKER’S TYPE MADE FROM WASTE

CREATIVE WALL FIXTURES

BAKER HAS CUT THE STEP

THE WALL IS DECORATED FROM

ENTRANCE HAS SMALL

BAKER EXTENSIVELY USED

 USING CORBELLING INSTEAD OF

 HE USED JALIS WHICH HAD MANY

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