Prof. Anil Laul is an Indian architect and urban planner, particularly noted for his sensitivity to the needs of the poor and for his use of traditional methods and materials dovetailing the contemporary element into his designs. He is the principal architect of Anangpur Building Centre and Academy for Sustainable Habitat Research and Action (ASHRA). He is considered the 'Master Blaster of Low Cost Housing & Earthquake engineering' in the country. He also has many Hi-end & Hi-tech structures like the Cube-on-vertex, Geodesic domes, Space frames, A-frames to his credit. He was also instrumental in setting up the Laurie Baker Building Centre (LBBC) in Delhi, an organization promoting low-cost, eco-friendly structures.

Birth and Education

He was born on August 6, 1944, in Amritsar, Punjab. He studied architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi in 1968. He has worked with Joseph Allen Stein & Mrs. Stein, Ram Sharma Kanvinde to name a few. He was a former visiting professor at SPA, Delhi and the former Chairman of the Habitat Polytechnic. He has been a passionate teacher, a terror in the class and a friend outside the class. He has been an inspiration for his students and fellow teachers. He has always been the favorite of his students.

Affiliations

He was the prime member of the Art Advisory Committee, Architecture Advisory Committee, Projects Appraisal Committee, Building Materials Advisory Committee and Governing Council of Building Centre of HUDCO (Housing and Urban Development Corporation) in the past. He is the member of Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and senior advisor/consultant to various bodies like the Development Alternatives, Delhi Urban Art Commission, Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure Planning and Engineering Centre (UTTIPEC), The Energy and Research Institute (TERI), Oxfam, Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), United Nations Environment Program etc. He has been instrumental in promoting the sustainable and cost effective technologies throughout India and abroad and is the co-author of several policies for Housing. Laul has been involved in extensive writing for various journals including the Local Agenda 21(Sustainable City Strategies) for the Johannesburg Summit. He is the chief advisor, host and jury to various trophies for various international conventions of National Association of Students of Architecture (NASA).

Philosophy and Design

Anil Laul is known for his understated, pure organic but geometrical forms. His design concepts speak of the clarity of design and detailing. His works often incorporate tradition with contemporary style. After more than three decades of relentless work and unique masterpieces, evolving the best

cost effective and sustainable technologies in India and the world, his name has become synonymous to this type of construction

Laul has been involved in various teaching/hands-on training programmes. Laul shares, 'I have chosen to do RE...SEARCH and not research as we know it. To my mind it is

simple and requires a blend of nature's bounty, traditional wisdom and advancement of the technologies developed by man.'

He lays stress on building for cost-effectiveness without compromising on the aesthetics of any building.

The construction technologies used in high-income group housing are the same used in a slum rehabilitation scheme.

He built low-cost, low-energy, climatically suited and aesthetic houses with recycled waste for people’s real needs keeping the human'e' scale alive.

While constructing his own house at Anangpur, he practiced the same concepts he preached and popularized. Indeed, his life is his message.

"Will I live in a home built with the technologies that I propagate for the underprivileged? Yes, in my case I do." - Book 'GREEN is RED' by Anil Laul.

Recycling comes naturally to Laul. His projects used bits and pieces of waste to make aesthetically appealing structures that are eco-friendly and rooted to the community and tradition. The roofs of the Bhoomiheen Camp, a school for the slum children, have the waste stone found in that area, a signature Laul technique. Laul is very sensitive to the environment and had a minimal use of the guzzling RCC in his buildings.

Prominent Works

Jaunapur Slum Resettlement, Delhi Deepalaya School Anangpur Building Centre and Residence Katha School for Slum Children Pushkarna Residence, Chandigarh Jhalawar Housing, Rajasthan Lucknow Housing, Uttar Pradesh Prince Ashokraje Gaekwad Pre-School, Vadodara, Gujarat Bhartiyam Gram, Delhi Bhoomiheen Camp, Delhi Exposition Centre, Bangluru Escorts J.C.B. Factory Kota General Hospital, Rajasthan Krishnan Residence, Gurgaon Vedaville Township in Jamaica Proposal for the Great Egyptian Museum Proposal for Bio-Climatic School in Greece Sustainable City Strategies for Johannesburg Summit Common man's Water Filter 'Do or Die' of Financial Crisis

Books by Laul

Threads of Sustainability, 2005

GREEN is RED, 2013

Forms

Cube-on-vertex

Space Frames

A-frames

Details on Some Prominent Works:

Anangpur Building Centre and Residence

The Anangpur Building Centre is an entrepreneur Building Centre initiated in 1991 by Prof. Anil Laul, who has been involved with pioneering work in the field of Appropriate Technologies for three decades. The Centre has been the forerunner of the Building Centre movement in India. The issues it addresses are right from the Brick as a basic element in building and its appropriateness to high-end technology structures such as Space Frames and Geodesics.

Unfortunately, apart from high technology surfacing materials that have emerged over the years, the basic performance criterion required of a walling material remains unexplored. An analytical approach plus a re-examination of requirements of an appropriate walling material has resulted in surface-engineered walling blocks {impermeable diaphragm with lean back-up}, which have been successfully used by Anangpur Building Centre in several projects.

Prof. Anil Laul’s house

Built on 6,000 square feet, the house has a certain rustic charm to it, drawing students of architecture as well as architects and planners who find it an apt example of a low-cost, eco-friendly house which also helps protect, conserve and recycle resources.

According to Laul, this was quarried land when he bought it way back in 1987. He also said that since most of the construction materials were already available here, all they needed were laborers to work. He wanted to preserve the natural look of the land as far as possible and worked with the elements of nature including the sun and wind.

An interesting facet of the house is that it is built below mean ground level and according to the architect, there is logic in this surprise element and it is to do with insulation. Also, the house becomes earthquake-resistant, he says.

No attempt is made to mask the fact that the walls lack plaster. Instead of using regular bricks that are 3 or 4 inches in breadth for the walls, Laul used stones that are 12 to 18 inches thick. Says the architect: "The thickness of the walls insulates the house in such a manner that it is cool in summer and warm during winter. We seldom need to use the air conditioner."

The garden is landscaped by boulders and the impressive stone steps leading into the house, the courtyard and passages have all been constructed with stone left over from the construction of the house.

The main drawing room opens onto the lawn and is used for entertaining guests.

By and large, the lighting is natural. The living room is a picture of perfection, particularly in the early evenings when the low sun filters through the latticework of the wide windows lighting up the huge stone steps that lead into the central courtyard.

The house, constructed on the principles of the late architect Laurie Baker, cost just Rs 1.2 million in 1993.

Instead of terming it low-cost technology, he insists on calling it appropriate technology.

According to Laul, the term low-cost is considered by some to mean a structure meant for slum dwellers. But he wants to dispel this image. For him, alternative skills mean value-added construction for the same value of money. “I am living in an area where stones and coarse sand are available in plenty. I have used those materials to build my house. It is just that common, sensible approaches and practical structures are considered extraordinary and my house has become the talk of the town," he says.

"One has to stress how we blend architecture, engineering, art and artisans. But rarely does one see the integration of all four. Do that and the structure becomes sustainable,'' says Anil, who is an adviser on various technological committees and art commissions, and has assisted in the development of local and national housing policies.

"I would say that in a way even a Rolls Royce is low-cost, because its performance is so fantastic that you get value for money," says the architect.

Anil's large living room with its rough-hewn granite walls exudes cool chic. Though there is an overwhelming tone of grey, it is masterfully set off by eclectic objects d'art and tastefully arranged furniture. Vivid hues of the upholstery give it a contemporary finish.

According to Laul, he has built an ‘introverted’ house. The master bedroom is at the centre of the house and there is a reason for this. It offers a clear view of the courtyard and from there, the occupant can spot visitors as soon as they enter the perimeter. The living room for guests as well as the kitchen is also visible from there.

The architect has used a revolutionary concept in roofing, the funicular shell, to great effect. The funicular shell is more efficient than the standard RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) as far as insulation and weather protection are concerned.

The ceiling is patterned with bricks and each pattern is different, adding an interesting dimension to the interior.

The concrete beams run diagonally to the walls of the building, for earthquake resistance.

Colored tiles, pieces of marble, waste granite... all have been recycled and used in some way, adding to the house's allure. The house has been painted just once in its lifetime. This is because according to him paint is the main cause of environmental degradation.

Sofas, beds, bathtubs, counters are all inbuilt, thus reducing the cost of furnishings drastically. The interiors are tastefully accentuated by accessories, giving the home a modern look.

During the monsoon when there is a threat of floods, a drainage system has been built in such a way that no water collects around the structure. The drain empties into areas a little away from the house but no water leaves the premises.

The kitchen and bath wastewater empty near the banana and papaya trees in the garden – another novel method to watering the plants but in a cost-efficient way.

Contrary to popular belief, low-cost housing is not a structure for the poor, it means cutting unnecessary expenditure even while building a beautiful house. It is about reducing construction costs by using alternative methods of construction, using local and indigenous building materials, local skills, energy savers and environment-friendly options and other effective measures.

Exposition Centre, Bangalore

Technology in its simplest form.

The Permanent Exhibition Complex of Karnataka Trade Promotion Organization, not only makes a statement in terms of its monumental scale, but also epitomizes Simplified Technologies.

Regarded as a massive feat of engineering today, the Karnataka Trade Centre has been designed with such simplicity; both at planning as well as detailing level; that it has now become a Symbol of Engineering. It illustrates all that is possible in this country, provided one is willing to approach problems from the root cause rather than designing for complexity and provide for simple working methodologies as available in this country.

It has excellent features and is also well equipped with all kinds of modern technologies. The venue is a business cum exhibition center. It has a VIP lounge for international exhibitors. The lounge has ability to accommodate around 500 people at a time. The venue has an option of outdoor as well as indoor meeting space. The halls of the venue are fully air conditioned. Business center of the venue is well equipped with all kinds of modern machines. Bangalore International Exhibition Center also has meetings rooms which are available for national as well as international exhibitors.

No. of Halls : 3Coverage Area : 34 Acre

Krishnan House, Gurgaon

The Krishnan’s Residence is located at the Auroville retreat, which is a pollution-free zone, in the interiors of Gurgaon.The roof slope on the west side of the building extends from the top to the ground and is completely covered with tiles. The entire wall on the west side is blank with no openings. The building is completely shaded from the south and the west sun.

The building is cool in summer and warm in winter. The hot air inside the building rises up and goes out through the skylight in the A-frame. Cool air enters the building through the windows.

North East view Front Elevation

The predominant breezes are from the north east and south east. The windows are provided at appropriate locations so that they capture these breezes. The placement of the doors and windows are such that they provide for good cross ventilation. The greenery around the building allows in cool and fresh air.

West Elevation View from driveway

Interview:

1. What influenced you to be an architect? How did you become interested in this field?[laughs] I always knew I wanted to be an architect. I was always interested, even though it wasn’t that a big thing at the time.

2. Views on today’s architectural education in India? Also how does it differentiate from your own time as a student?In today’s architectural education in India, there are too many laws and regulations to be followed while designing. It wasn’t like that when we were students. We didn’t have specializations like today; in fact we were made to focus on each and every aspect of this vast field which, in a way, was actually beneficial if you think about it. Specializations narrow your horizons. But the base line is: we architects need space while designing. These laws and

regulations act as barriers to our design. The system goes like this: first the design has to be presented, evaluated and then get approved by the government. Well, this is too long a procedure! I say, these laws should be banned so that our future architects have the freedom to design, but they must also keep in mind the norms and functionality of the design.

3. Views on green and sustainable architecture?Green and sustainable architecture doesn’t mean that a building should be green, but of course a building should be sustainable in its own right. While designing a building, one should keep in mind that the surroundings or the environment are not affected in the long run. I say, green architecture is just plain common sense. All that is designed by common sense is green architecture.

4. Which of your works are your personal bests/favourites?All my works and designs are different from each other. There is no comparison at all. All are my favourites. I can’t refer to any of my works as favourites. Take an example of my two lovely daughters. Both are favourites to me. It would be unfair if I were to choose a favourite between them.

5. What do you consider as your inspiration?My lovely wife and my two lovely daughters are my inspiration. They always believe in me and always encourage me.

6. If you weren’t an architect, what would you have been?Hmm, if I weren’t an architect, I probably would have been a lawyer. Or a doctor. Or maybe even a tax collector! [laughs]

7. What would you regard as philosophy of a design?There is no hard-and-fast rule when it comes to design philosophy. Just use your common sense and it will take you far. Analyse life-styles, the usage, the surroundings, everything, and implement it to your best ability.

8. Message for the budding architects out there and students like us?One should keep in mind that an architect should not design according to the present needs of the client, but should design according to their future needs. Our work is to enlighten the client, not mislead. We are architects, not draftsmen.And to students, decide a concept only to satisfy the teacher as we have to sell a concept. It’s then when comes the actual design. It’s something which has become mandatory. But at the same time, never be self-content with your designs. Always try to do a little more.

Bibliography

www.anangpur.org wrkshp.org/10-03-13-building-system/ fridaymagazine.ae architizer.com/projects/

Sketches:

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Akilandeswari S (44) Ruthvik Reddy (51) Thejangulie Sale (75)