Iwan Baan
  • Photography
  • Books
  • Exhibitions
  • News
  • About
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
Indian Coffee House – Trivandrum – Laurie Baker

Indian Coffee House – Trivandrum – Laurie Baker

2022

Laurence Wilfred “Laurie” Baker (March 2, 1917 – April 1, 2007) was an award-winning British-born Indian architect, renowned for his initiatives in cost-effective energy-efficient architecture and for his unique space utilization and a simple but beautiful aesthetic sensibility. He came to India in 1945 as a missionary aid worker and since then lived and worked in India for over 50 long years.

The Indian Coffee House, a restaurant chain owned by a workers’ cooperative offering inexpensive food, located near the state transport bus stand in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram. Combining cheekily effective form and delightful functionality, the little tower can be read as a miniaturised ‘negative’ of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum in New York. Its dining area is a ramp twirling up around a solid central core housing the kitchen and pantries that also open directly to the ramp. Built-in brick furniture finished in shiny black cement radiates out from the ramp to the load-bearing external jali wall. The rhythm of the jali’s brick-high corbelled openings allows constant air movement and creates dramatic patterns of light. On the outside, shadows spiral up a form that is simultaneously intimate and monumental.

Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite

Tags:

  • Coffee house,
  • India,
  • Kerala,
  • Laurie Baker,
  • and Restaurant

Other projects tagged with Coffee house, India, Kerala, Laurie Baker and Restaurant

Loyola Hostel – Trivandrum – Laurie Baker

Loyola Hostel – Trivandrum – Laurie Baker

Chiringuito Cafe – Selgas Cano

Chiringuito Cafe – Selgas Cano

Centre For Development Studies – Trivandrum – Laurie Baker

Centre For Development Studies – Trivandrum – Laurie Baker

Kanoria Centre Of Arts – BV Doshi

Kanoria Centre Of Arts – BV Doshi

GSFC Housing – Balkrishna Doshi

GSFC Housing – Balkrishna Doshi

Ahmedabad House – Studio Mumbai

Ahmedabad House – Studio Mumbai

SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association) Building – Trivandrum  – Laurie Baker

SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association) Building – Trivandrum – Laurie Baker

Sangath – BV Doshi

Sangath – BV Doshi

Tagore Hall – BV Doshi

Tagore Hall – BV Doshi

Pallikoodam School – Kottayam – Laurie Baker

Pallikoodam School – Kottayam – Laurie Baker

Aranya housing Indore BV Doshi – Balkrishna Doshi

Aranya housing Indore BV Doshi – Balkrishna Doshi

Chengalchoola Housing – Trivandrum – Laurie Baker

Chengalchoola Housing – Trivandrum – Laurie Baker

  • Home
  • Portfolio
  • Indian Coffee House – Trivandrum – Laurie Baker

Iwan Baan Photography, Rozenstraat 145, 1016 NP Amsterdam, The Netherlands, e-mail: studio@iwan.com — all images © Iwan Baan 1996 - 2025