THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Death fails to ‘kill’ those who are immortal. Laurie Baker, the great architect and advocate of low-cost houses, being one among the immortals, still lives through his designs. Friday, being the 95th birth anniversary of Laurie Baker, COSTFORD, the architectural institute founded by Laurie Baker, will conduct a ‘smrithi’ function for remembering Laurie Baker and his wife Elizabeth Baker, at Karimadom Colony, near Chalai.
The selection of the venue is not a random one. The apartments in the Colony which the government built for its residents were designed by Laurie Baker and it was the last project designed by him.
Laurie Baker Centre for Habitat Studies is the co-organiser of the function. “We decided to conduct the remembrance functions in the buildings designed by Bakerji thinking that it would be the best tribute that we could pay to him,” said S Seena, coordinator, COSTFORD.
“The concept and design of the apartments for the first phase of the government’s project for the rehabilitation of the Colony residents was done by Bakereji,” she added.
Last year, the remembrance function was held at Vilappilsala LBS Institute, another building designed by the great man. The building of the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Ulloor, a prestigious institute of the State, is another example of Baker’s genius. CDS also was the venue for the remembrance function of Baker’s birth anniversary once.
It was after the death of Laurie Baker in April, 2007, that his birth anniversary functions were held outside COSTFORD. Before that, they were confined to the COSTFORD office owing to the ill-health of Baker. There will also be an exhibition of Baker’s drawings at the function, which is scheduled to start at 9 am.
The organisers will also conduct a seminar along with the ‘smrithi’ function on the topic ‘Karimadom colony- samagra vikasanom'.