KOCHI: As a student, Vinu Daniel took up architecture solely as a “shelter in the shower” when forced to make a higher studies choice. It was a meeting with the legendary Laurie Baker that transformed him. Vinu, who won the Royal Academy Dorfman Award last year, recently featured in the TIME magazine’s ‘100 Next’ list. In a breezy chat with TNIE, he opens up about his backstory, muddy path, and ideology
Let’s start with a flashback: How did you get into the world of architecture?
I was born and brought up in the Gulf. When the time came to choose a subject for higher studies, I was stuck. I was passionate about music, but that didn’t sound appealing to others. Later, I chose architecture, simply because it involved drawing. So, I landed at College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram. Unlike most of my batchmates, I had never been a fan of architecture.
However, the first turning point came when I got to meet legendary architect Laurie Baker during my third year. His concept of avoiding harm to the living things at a site struck me. The interaction with him had a profound impact on me. He was the one who taught me that construction is a sin, and that we architects were like butchers.
Interestingly, Laurie, too, was as confused as I was when he was young. It was Mahatma Gandhi who had encouraged him to build with materials sourced from within a five-mile radius of a site. Laurie embraced this wholeheartedly.
Subsequently, Laurie’s lessons guided me to Auroville Earth Institute after graduation. Auroville had been perfecting the Gandhian concept for years. There, I learned that the Malayali idea of mud bricks was outdated. It quickly became apparent that mud bricks can be more precise, compact, and sturdy. That’s when I decided I would work with mud.
What was the response to your choice of the ‘muddy’ path?
I gifted the first mudbrick I had made to my mother. That brick now sits underneath the garbage bin in my home (laughs). Need I say more?
It is still an uphill battle to change people’s perception of anything mud. I never imagined building a career in architecture, with my ‘outlandish’ concept. However, today, there are at least 10-12 firms following our concept. We also have a patent. We are the first non-institutional architecture/engineer to get an Indian patent. We got it for our shuttered debris wall concept (construction using debris). That’s one of our core concepts.
You seem to be always on the move, withou a proper office set up…
The practice we follow is vagabond architecture. I dropped the idea of having an office of my own in 2010. This decision was mainly after seeing the trouble undertaken by other architects in setting up their own space by investing a huge amount of capital. They did this to impress the clients. My team and I believe architects don’t require an office. We have laptops; the lap is enough to get our work done. Moreover, instead of spending hours in the office, architects should be on the site. If a project requires us to spend time indoors, we rely on cafes or co-working spaces.
Our job is invasive. As I said, construction is a sin. So, if an architect is on the field, they can observe and minimise the degree of invasiveness of the project. Also, we wanted to break the idea of valuing office jobs and looking down upon on-site work.
You hold professions such as carpentery and masonry in high regard. Now, however, they are undervalued in society, and many have been moving away from their familial craft…
An architect is not just a draftsman. He has to teach the concepts of carpentry and other construction works to those new to the field. When I started, I only had one carpenter. After that, he brought in his relative, and soon the circle expanded. Architects should also aim for the social upliftment of workers. Effective interaction itself can deconstruct the social outlook.
How do you sync with the workers?
They are more like my family. Some of them have been with me, right from the time I started off. Our discussions are also technical at times, with them actively offering suggestions and taking up responsibilities. We evolve together.
There is a perception that sustainable buildings are elitist, or exorbitant…
I beg to differ. In fact, it is the other way around. Let me elaborate — when I began my practice, my aim was to build homes for economically weaker sections (EWS). For eight years, I struggled to find the right balance of artistic, economical, and functional when it came to building houses. It dawned on me much later that people in EWS didn’t want EWS homes; they aspired higher. It’s natural.That’s when I decided to tow the elitist line. Today, I build schools, museums, and residences — for the ‘elites’ and others. Traditional mud brick houses innately don’t have that aesthetic value. We have to infuse that in, and therein lies our USP. This focus on the aesthetic factor is why I am sitting on this chair today, talking to you.It is true that staying true to our concept of sustainability might not remain within a conservative budget. But, the cost is certainly not as high as people make it seem.
Besides mud, what other materials have you used?
Today, if you build a home, about 90-95% of materials would come from external sources. In our practice, this is only 30%. Besides mud, I also use debris for construction.For a home we are building in Thiruvananthapuram, one of the materials we used was washing machine wheels collected from a scrapyard. For a project in Vadakara, we used discarded toys. Today’s toys, made out of thermosetting plastic, are quite sturdy.
Are clients open to such experimentst?
Believe me, though our path is a strange one, we are not alone. Many people think like us. If not in Kerala, then somewhere else. I would say the main hurdle in Kerala is that a house is not just a shelter or living space – many see it as a status symbol.
Besides toys, what else has impressed you?
I am doing a tyre pavilion in Sharjah. Tyres were used as a construction material way back in the 1960s. I, too, have tried out using them in four or five field attempts. I have met with failures. But we learn from our failures, experiment more, and then five years down the lane, we might become set in it.
Can you name any interesting projects that you are doing now?
We are building a memorial museum at the late singer S P Balasubramanium’s residence in Chennai. It’s being constructed with used tyres, and will take one or two years to complete. The museum will have a three-storey dome.We have been focusing on tyres for quite some time. India is the world’s biggest dump yard of tyres. Around 30,000 cargo ships arrive in the Indian subcontinent carrying tyres from developed countries. Most of it goes into tarring of the roads. We understood this when we faced a shortage of tyres for the project, as some elections were announced. Elections mean hasty roadwork for votes. Then, we requested SPB fans to contribute, and the response was amazing – we received about 70,000 tyres.
You have caught attention with a unique construction style for hilly terrains…
Yes, it’s called camouflage. People are now averse to going to Ooty or Kodaikanal. Why? Because of the rampant construction; the hills have lost their beauty. A person constructing a building is only bothered about the view from inside. But for those looking from the outside, it can be an eyesore. What I want is a building that can be seen but, at the same time, cannot not be seen. My project ‘Chuzhi’ is an example. It took us 15 years to understand the process. A process that would see to it that even a small plant is not disturbed.
There was another project that involved two snakes on the building site…
The construction site was on a farmland. There was a swamp with two snakes. I told the client I would retain the swamp as it was, assuring that the snakes would never cause any trouble to the occupants of the house. It took me more than a year to construct the house while protecting the ecosystem of the snakes.
However, after a year, I got a call from the client. She complained that the mesh I had used for the windows and doors – since passive cooling is my style – had been destroyed by rats. I asked the client whether the snakes were still there in the swamp. She replied that they had been killed. It was farmland, so naturally there would be rodents. The snakes were a natural deterrent that kept them away.
See, we need to focus on maintaining a symbiotic relationship with nature. We strive to keep that up in all our projects, keeping in mind that we are the invaders.
There was news about a temple project that you have taken up. Could you please share some details?
I am working on a Siva temple project in Mulanthuruthy. The plot is on a slope. So rather than elevating the land, we are planning to have the Sivalinga – made of mud – at the centre of a waterbody. It will be a camouflage design.
There was a similar church project. Heard that you left it midway…
By the time the structure was finished, the client started coming up with big ideas. They wanted to add embellishments, like golden paint: ‘Edappally church has one lakh visitors a day, so shouldn’t we try for at least 50,000?’ There were unnecessary intrusions, and I said no. So the client asked me to pack my bag (laughs).I think we Indians are generally intrusive. Take families, our parents get involved in our lives even if we turn 40! This habit is inculcated in all of us. Even if at a stranger’s place, some uncles would comment on the body weight of the women there! This intruding habit is reflected in work, too.
Have you ever been part of any government projects?
The Turkish government has invited me for the reconstruction work after the massive earthquake there. There is a big pile of rubble. Reconstruction of the entire city area will be done using that. There is another project in Sharjah.
What about in Kerala?
Well. The system here is different. There is a lot of protocol, paperwork and red tape. There will be a lot of hurdles, especially since we are working with novel concepts. Also, one gains recognition here only if we are applauded abroad. Now that we have won the Royal Academy Dorfman Award 2022 and appeared in TIME magazine, maybe there will be a change of reception here. While handing me the award, Lord Dorfman quipped that it was the first time he was awarding someone who built a home for snakes (laughs).
Any word of advice for budding architects?
All I want to tell them is to be patient. It’s okay if one doesn’t figure out one’s path at 25. There is a lot of time to explore and experiment.
TNIE team: Rajesh Abraham, Anu Kuruvilla,S Neeraj Krishna,Ronnie Kuriakose, Mahima Anna Jacob, A Sanesh (photos), Pranav V P (video)