'It is important for the world to know that people like you exist': Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal formally awarded 2021 Pritzker Prize

2021-09-15T13:18:00-04:00

Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal have been formally awarded the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize at a special ceremony which took place on September 14th. The French architects were announced as recipients of the prestigious prize in March in recognition of their contribution to the built environment, particularly their commitment to sustainability through the use of pre-existing structures.

Ceremony highlights. Video courtesy Pritzker Architecture Prize.

During their ceremony acceptance speech, Lacaton and Vassal stressed the importance of creating habitable spaces with a positive relationship to the climate and starting from a principle of retaining, rather than demolishing, existing structures. “In this respect, the heritage of modernity and experiments with free plan, spatial generosity, transparency and light for all, offer many valuable lessons,” they said.

“Considering the existing as a present material deeply modifies the way we envisage the city, which is always a...

Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal named 2021 Pritzker Prize Winners

2021-03-16T10:38:00-04:00

French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal of Lacaton & Vassal have been awarded the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize, widely considered one of the industry's highest honors.

Transformation of G, H, I Buildings, Grand Parc, 530 Units, Social Housing (with Frédéric Druot and Christophe Hutin), photo courtesy of Philippe Ruault

The prize jury praised the architects' ongoing commitment to sustainability through their reverence for pre-existing structures, "conceiving projects by first taking inventory of what already exists."

53 Units, Low-Rise Apartments, Social Housing, photo courtesy of Philippe Ruault

The 2021 jury citation states, in part: "Not only have they defined an architectural approach that renews the legacy of modernism, but they have also proposed an adjusted definition of the very profession of architecture. The modernist hopes and dreams to improve the lives of many are reinvigorated through their work that responds to the climatic and ecological emergencies...

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'It is important for the world to know that people like you exist': Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal formally awarded 2021 Pritzker Prize

Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal named 2021 Pritzker Prize Winners