Ill.4.2.a Ecological, User Centric & Swadeshi

4.2 |

GANDHIAN PHILOSOPHY OF 5 MILE RADIUS

M.K. Gandhi believed art & architecture to be a pure manifestation of nature. He saw the buildings as a living body that breathes and builds a connection with the human residing or working in it. He did not consider these forms of expression as a distinct entity, but saw them as an integral part of nature itself. He also believed that the Earth’ s resources are enough to fulfill the human race ’ s needs, but when these needs take the form of greed, humans tend to consume the natural wealth to its benefit in an injudicious way. In architecture, one can say that exploitations come into picture in terms of the materials used, & the energy consumed behind extracting them for the construction processes.

Ill.4.2.aEcological, User Centric & Swadeshi | Author

4.2.1 | THE SWADESHI ARCHITECTURE

As mentioned evidently in the previous chapters as well, the ideologies of M.K.Gandhi are inclined towards a simple living lifestyle that finds its base on self-sufficiency & self-reliance. In economic terms, it is termed as being Swadeshi. In a simplified manner, it can be put that he encouraged an architectural practice that uses a local & traditional material palette, found in the immediate context of 5 mile radius.

The primary thought behind this philosophy was not just to become Swadeshi, to enhance the local economy, but also apply simple logic of environmental science. A building, built out of local materials will live longer compared to a building built out of any other invasive material, since the local materials have lived through the extreme climatic conditions of the site & its context, for millions of years.

M.K.Gandhi knew that architecture is much more than the tangible aspects of a building. It also considers intangible design decisions in the project & hence, his

idea of being Swadeshi also catered to the response to local climate, site conditions & most importantly the culture & people one is building for.

The term local is at times misinterpreted as an approach that either does not go hand in hand with the technology or is completely against it, to be extreme. On the contrary, experimenting with the permutation & combinations of the local materials to fetch possible outcomes can also be categorized under technology that is considerate to nature.

4.2.2 | AN IDEAL VILLAGE

A model village was ideated by M.K.Gandhi, that aimed to suffice all the needs, services & amenities a community would rely on for their survival. The foundation of the functioning of the village was of course the factor of self-sufficiency. A village, broadly can be broken down into two categories - built & the un-built. The un-built focuses on the factors that help the growth of community as one, & the built primarily deals with the architecture, which is aimed to follow the philosophy 5 Mile Radius.

The basic most need to be achieved was a perfectly functional sanitation system. Cleanliness & health was the real sense of wealth, is what M.K.Gandhi believed in. Smooth & efficient transition between different nodes within the village was considered as a bridge to attain & maintain a sense of community, hence road networks were aimed to be built & kept clean, free of dust. Also, community gathering spaces that may vary depending on the culture of the community, would be built for the community to grow together. Such gatherings may also happen in spaces of religion, hence provision of the House ofGodwas considered for all different communities living together in one village.

A community can be identified by the potential they carry, may it be art, a common profession or the ways of their daily living. Local industries, also termed as village industries for the same can be built & economy can be generated out of the same that helps the community survive. The flourishing of these industries ensures the secured survival of the village.

Education builds a foundation for the youth, the age group that is a major contributor to the well being of the nation, as considered by M.K.Gandhi. Building primary & secondary schools that not just focuses on textbook knowledge, but also helps a child explore & learn about real life practical issues were aimed for. Nai Talim was considered as a learning system to educate children in an all-round manner.

Households were aimed to be naturally lit & well ventilated. Courtyards are a design element that adds to the sense of community within the house as well as with the neighboring households. Small scale farming can be performed within these courtyards or around the households that the families & the community can survive on. Surpluses of the same can help the population earn & generate an economy for themselves.

Apart from these built or un-built elements that amalgamate to become an ideal village as envisioned by M.K.Gandhi, one more concern to be catered is the acceptance of these elements by the community they are meant for. The culture & background study of the village is equally important to understand the voids to be filled. Once an emotional connection between the community & the process of village reconstruction is attained, the members of the community can themselves work with mutual co-operation & voluntarily contribute for the common good.

4.2.3 | LAURIE BAKER - THE PIONEER ARCHITECT

Laurie Baker, from his youth, was inclined towards non-violence & had been a part of the Quakers [Society of Friends]. In 1941, he travelled to Kutsing, China, as a volunteer in a medical camp there. His journey back to England got delayed by three months & hence he had a halt in India for the time being.

A stay in India resulted in Laurie Baker visiting the talks & prayer meets conducted by M.K.Gandhi. The influence of Gandhian ideas on Laurie Baker made him change his mind to reside in India eventually, to work & build for the parts of the population that are needy & struggle in affording their own house. In his meetings with M.K.Gandhi, Laurie Baker was introduced to the philosophy of 5 Mile Radius which forms one of the bases of his architectural practice.

In 1963, the Bakers shifted to Kerala & started their architectural practice that was unique in itself as it seamlessly blended the three important aspects - the human, architecture & nature. The practice redefined the housing typology as it conceptualized around factors like cost-efficiency, affordability & ecological. Even though a significant deduction in costing was observed, there was no compromise on the functionality, natural lighting, ventilation, spatial quality & aesthetics of the design. A minimal approach was opted throughout the design process, also reflecting in the final output.