C EARTH (Centre for Environmental Architecture and Human Settlements) commingles two streams of thought, the philosophy of sustainable practice popularised in Kerala by the architect Laurie Baker in the seventies and eighties and the stream of socially responsible inclusive design, and planning and the primacy of context.
The people who worked with Baker or were influenced by his ideas followed a path of honesty and sustainability. Identifying and representing materials in all its truthfulness brought a balance in the way we use the materials along with labour and this has helped rediscover the nature of the evolving environment. The actual application of Baker’s philosophy has grown and changed over time and C EARTH has played its part in its development.