Social housing architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, founders of the French studio Lacaton & Vassal, were named the 2021 Pritzker Prize for Architecture.
French architects Lacaton and Vassal were named the winners of the award for their body of work that “reflects the democratic spirit of architecture” and their “commitment to restorative architecture”.
The recognition marks the first time that a French architect has won the award, with Lacaton becoming the sixth woman to receive the award since it was created in 1979.
The duo was recognized for the countless social housing projects they carried out as directors of the studio Lacaton & Vassal, based in Paris.
“They not only defined an architectural approach that renews the legacy of modernism, but they also proposed an appropriate definition of the architectural profession itself,” said the jury.
“The modernist hopes and dreams of improving the lives of many are reinvigorated through work that responds to the climatic and ecological emergencies of our time, as well as to social emergencies, particularly in the context of urban housing.”
The studio’s main housing projects include the restoration of three social housing blocks at the Grand Parc Bordeaux with Frédéric Druot, who won the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture last year, also known as the Mies van der Rohe Award.
Other social housing projects include the renovation of the ruined 1960s Tour Bois-le-Prêtre tower block in Paris, also in collaboration with Frédéric Druot, which was completed in 2011.
She also designed 53 low-income apartments in Saint-Nazaire and a suite of 59 social housing units in Jardins Neppert, Mulhouse.
Lacaton and Vassal met at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture et de Paysage de Bordeaux in the late 1970s and established their studio in Paris in 1987.
The duo’s first project was a house built with brushwood in Niamey, Niger. From that point on, they decided to “never demolish” and renovated several buildings.
“Transformation is the opportunity to do more and better with what already exists,” said Lacaton. “Demolition is an easy and short-term decision. It is a waste of many things – a waste of energy, a waste of material and a waste of history. In addition, it has a very negative social impact. For us, this is an act of violence. “
Many of the studio’s projects focus on expanding usable space through the use of conservatories and balconies, often using polycarbonate panels.
One of the first projects to do this was the Latapie House in Floirac, which incorporated a large polycarbonate conservatory in the back that allowed light into the house and expanded the interior spaces.
On a larger scale, the studio added terraces to create a flexible space in the Tour Bois-le-Prêtre and Grand Parc Bordeaux housing schemes.
Other major renovations carried out by the studio include the conversion and extension of an old shipbuilding workshop to create the contemporary art gallery FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais in Dunkerque.
He also undertook two major renovations to the Palais de Tokyo museum in Paris.
According to the jury, the studio’s attitude towards renewal and the sense of well-being that people feel in Lacaton & Vassal’s projects was a key factor in winning this year’s award.
“This year, more than ever, we feel that we are part of humanity as a whole,” said the Chilean architect and president of the Pritzker Prize for Architecture jury, Alejandro Aravena.
“Whether for health, political or social reasons, it is necessary to build a sense of collectivity. As in any interconnected system, to be fair to the environment, to be fair to humanity is to be fair to the next generation ”, he continued. .
“Lacaton and Vassal are radical in their delicacy and bold in their subtlety, balancing a respectful and direct approach to the built environment.”
The Pritzker Prize for Architecture was established to honor the work of a living architect and is considered the most significant architectural prize in his life.
Last year, the award was given to Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, co-founders of Grafton Architects, who became the fourth and fifth women to receive the award. The three previous winners were Zaha Hadid, Kazuyo Sejima as part of SAANA and Carme Pigem as part of RCR Arquitectes.
The award has already been presented to two French architects – Christian de Portzamparc and Jean Nouvel. Other winners of the prestigious award include Alejandro Aravena, Frei Otto, Rem Koolhaas, Norman Foster and Toyo Ito.
Read the full jury quote below:
The work of Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal reflects the democratic spirit of architecture. Through their ideas, approach to the profession and the resulting buildings, they proved that a commitment to a restorative architecture that is both technological, innovative and ecologically responsive can be pursued without nostalgia. This is the mantra of the team of Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal since the founding of their Paris-based company in 1987.
Not only did they define an architectural approach that renews the legacy of modernism, but they also proposed an adequate definition of the architectural profession itself. The modernist hopes and dreams of improving the lives of many are reinvigorated through work that responds to the climatic and ecological emergencies of our time, as well as to social emergencies, especially in the context of urban housing.
They achieve this through a powerful sense of space and materials that creates architecture as strong in its forms as in its convictions, as transparent in its aesthetics as in its ethics. At the same time beautiful and pragmatic, they refuse any opposition between architectural quality, environmental responsibility and the search for an ethical society.
For more than 30 years, his critical approach to architecture has incorporated generosity of space, ideas, uses and economy of means, materials and also of shapes and forms. This approach resulted in innovative projects for residential, cultural, educational and commercial buildings.
Since their first projects, including Latapie House, the private house in Bordeaux, and civic works such as the proposal of the Center for Human Sciences in Saint-Denis or the School of Architecture in Nantes, they have shown sensitivity and affection of experience to their buildings’ Commercial. The architects said that buildings are beautiful when people feel good about them, when the light inside is beautiful and the air is pleasant, and when there is an easy flow between the interior and the exterior.
The notion of belonging and being responsible for a greater whole involves not only other human beings, but the planet in general. From an early age, Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal have consistently expanded the notion of sustainability to be understood as a real balance between their economic, environmental and social pillars. His work was delivered through a variety of projects that actively address responsibility in these three dimensions.
Practice begins each project with a discovery process that includes watching closely and finding value in what already exists. In the case of the 1996 commission, Léon Aucoc Plaza, the approach was simply to carry out the minimum work of replacing the gravel, treating linden trees and slightly modifying the traffic, all to give renewed potential to what already existed.
In their housing projects for the transformation of the Paris block, Tour Bois le Prêtre, and three blocks in the Grand Parc district of Bordeaux (both carried out with Frederic Druot), instead of demolition and reconstruction, they carefully added space to the existing buildings in the generous extensions, winter gardens and balconies that allow freedom of use and, therefore, support the real life of residents. There is a humility in the approach that respects the goals of the original designers and the aspirations of the current occupants.
For the cultural center, FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais in Dunkirk, they chose to maintain the original hall and attach a second of similar dimensions to the existing building. Absent is the nostalgia of the past. Instead, they seek transparency, openness and luminosity with respect to the inherited and a quest to act responsibly in the present. Today, a building that used to go unnoticed becomes an emblematic element of a renewed natural and cultural landscape.
Because they believe that architecture is more than just buildings, for the questions they address and for the proposals they make, for charting a responsible and sometimes lonely path, illustrating that the best architecture can be humble and is always attentive, respectful and responsible, they have shown that architecture can have a great impact on our communities and contribute to the awareness that we are not alone. For their work done and for the future, Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal are named the 2021 Pritzker Prize Laureates.
The photograph is by Philippe Ruault, unless otherwise specified.