Social housing architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal have been named the 2021 winners of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. They are the founders of French studio Lacaton & Vassal.
Key Points
- French architects Lacaton and Vassal have been named the winners of the award for their body of work that “reflects architecture’s democratic spirit” and their “commitment to a restorative architecture”.
- Their recognition marks the first time a French female architect has won the prize.
- Also, Lacaton is the sixth woman to receive the award since it was established in 1979.
- The French pair has been awarded for the various social housing projects they have undertaken as principals of the Paris-based studio Lacaton & Vassal.
- The major housing projects of the studio include its restoration of three social housing blocks in Grand Parc Bordeaux with Frdric Druot, which won last year’s European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, also known as the Mies van der Rohe Award.
- Other social housing projects include the renovation of the crumbling 1960s Tour Bois-le-Prtre tower block in Paris, also in collaboration with Frdric Druot, which completed in 2011.
- It has also designed a 59-unit social housing development at Jardins Neppert, Mulhouse, and 53 low-rise social-housing apartments in Saint-Nazaire.
- Other important renovations done by the studio include the conversion and extension of a former shipbuilding workshop to create the FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais contemporary art gallery in Dunkerque.
- The studio has also done two major renovations of the Palais de Tokyo museum in Paris.
Pritzker Architecture Prize
The Pritzker Architecture Prize was established with an aim to honor the work of a living architect and is considered architecture’s most significant lifetime achievement award.
Last year the prize was awarded to Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, co-founders of Grafton Architects, who became the fourth and fifth women to receive the award.
Last Modified: February 11, 2024