Let's celebrate Master Architect Sir Laurie Baker's life and his ideologies together in this new seminar brought to you by 361bit, India. The event shall be hosted live via YouTube on Sunday, 30th May 2021, 11:00 am IST/ 07:30 am CET/ 05:30 am GMT.

Session Theme: 'Baker Beyond Bricks'
The Seminar shall bring into discussion the story of Sir Laurie Baker's life through the eyes of two resourceful and value-added architects who have worked closely with the Master architect.

Padma Shri Laurence Wilfred Baker was a man who promoted cost-effective and low energy sustainable architecture and worked for the common man. He was a humanist who believed in showing compassion, not only towards humans but also the environment.

Panelists Profile

Architect R D Padmakumar

- Professional practice since 1986 under Laurie Baker while working for COSTFORD (Centre of Science and Technology for Rural Development) in Kerala and Served HUDCO (Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited) for 26 years.

- Experience in development and dissemination of sustainable alternative approaches in architecture, design, building materials and construction and helped in establishing and running of agencies engaged in the above activities. Established and operated the Laurie Baker Building Centre at R K Puram, New Delhi, during 1989–1999 with the support of HUDCO and Slum & JJ Department of Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

- Worked in various capacities in planning, design, construction, policy formulation, preparation of guidelines and handbooks; for many public projects including Government supported housing programmes, post-disaster rehabilitation activities in Latur, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Odisha and Tamil Nadu. Currently practising as an independent consultant, mostly in association with COSTFORD and as a resource person at the Laurie Baker Centre for Habitat Studies (LBC); stationed in Thiruvananthapuram.

Architect Malak Singh Gill

- He graduated from Academy of Architecture, Mumbai in 2000. He initially worked with Padma Shri Laurie Baker in the non-profit organization COSTFORD (Centre of Science and Technology for Rural Development), in Trivandrum Kerala.

- He has reinforced his learning by taking post-graduate courses on Sustainable Natural Resources Management and Geo-morphology with The Ecological Society of India, Pune. He has carried forward Laurie Baker's principles in his professional and teaching practice, which involves adapting to cultural building practices of local people and sensitively negotiating their relationship with the physical environment.

- Over 19 years of practice, he has executed projects across Maharashtra, and in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa. Over a decade of sharing his experience with students as a visiting faculty, he has inspired many young architects to adopt an environment-sensitive approach in their practice and teaching.

Moderator

Pappal Suneja: He is a design researcher, an architect, and a writer. He is also the founder and curator of the Architectural Journalism & Criticism Organisation and Country Editor for the World Architecture Community. Currently, Pappal is a Ph.D. Scholar at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Germany. 

To enroll, visit the link and fill up your details.

Date: 30th May 2021, Sunday

Time: 11:00 am IST/ 07:30 am CET/ 05:30 am GMT

Venue: YouTube/Google Meet

Head Image: Event Poster, Image © 361bit

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