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"Laurie Baker - Architect of Gandhi. The premiere of the podcast series "The Soft Belly of Modernism"

30 of May '22

We are starting a new podcast series! Together with architect Maciej Jagielak of Emission of Architecture, we invite you to the podcast series "The Soft Belly of Modernism." Modernism in architecture is, in popular opinion, a time of concrete, steel, glass, fascination with technology, progress at all costs, and gray apartment blocks and widespread concretism are the final product of modernist thought. Does twentieth-century architecture have anything to offer modern green seekers?

In a new series of podcasts you will learn about the legends and unknown faces of Modernist architecture, the fringes of the style, the forgotten achievements of the era. Clippings from the biographies of more and less famous "modernists." You will also be surprised by the presence of natural materials, "eco-friendly" thinking and social sensitivity. We are the first to present the silhouette of architect Laurie Baker.

Laurie Baker - Gandhi's architect

The cover of an Indian book about architects. On it three of the most important: Le Corbusier (easily recognized by his glasses), F.L.Wright (we recognize by his hat) and .... the third, little known in Europe: Laurie Baker. Meanwhile, of the three aforementioned "modernists," it is Laurie who could, and even should, be a role model for future generations of architects. He would also have been great as a patron saint of the discipline, as he spent his life extremely humbly - helping people in need of shelter, living alongside them. He was one of the few in India to find concrete, viable solutions for building accessible homes, combining European education with local culture and craftsmanship.

scope of the podcast

[0:01]
Greetings and introduction
[2:23]
Laurie Baker - favorite architect?
[3:27]
This is a beautiful resume!
[5:53]
Biography - the most important facts
[8:08]
China - Friends Ambulance Unit mission
[15:57]
Meeting with Gandhi and returning to UK
[18:58]
India - Leprosy Mission
[24:25 ]
Wedding and departure to the Himalayas
[26:54]
Life in the Himalayas
[32:25]
Moving to Kerala
[35:24]
Low-cost building and conflict with engineers
[39:59 ]
Kerala - further creation
[47:27]
CDS Center for Development Studies
[49:37]
Creative output and way of working
[55:32]
"Cost cutting", or how to build economically
[1:04:23]
Summary: Baker, Wright, Le Corbusier

Maciej Jagielak

The Soft Belly of Architecture podcast series:

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