Pritzker Prize 2021 Laureates, French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, founders of Lacaton & Vassal, are known for their “never demolish” principle and their notion of sustainability embodied in a three-pillar balance: economic, environmental, and social. In this exclusive video for ArchDaily, Martha Thorne, executive director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize and Dean of IE School of Architecture and Design, shares some of the reasons why Lacaton & Vassal has won the Pritzker Prize 2021.
Lacaton & Vassal’s Transformation of 530 Dwellings Through the Lens of Laurian Ghinitoiu
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Renowned photographer Laurian Ghinitoiu has shared with ArchDaily a series of photos of one of the most influential projects of recent Pritzker Laureates, Anne Lacaton, and Jean-Philippe Vassal. The Transformation of the 530 dwellings in Bordeaux, 3 modernist residential buildings, reflect Lacaton & Vassal's sensitivity towards understanding existing structures. It also highlights how with minimal interventions, radical changes can be made to the habitability and usability of a modernist building -knowing that in Europe, the majority of these structures have ended up being demolished-. This approach was enough to select this transformation as the winner of the EU Mies 2019 Award, for the best contemporary architecture in Europe.
Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal Receive the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize

The 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize, architecture’s highest honor, has been granted to Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, founders of Lacaton & Vassal, the French duo renowned for their multiple sustainable housing projects and for the Palais de Tokyo, a contemporary art gallery in Paris. In their three decades of work, Lacaton & Vassal always prioritized the “enrichment of human life”, benefiting the individual and supporting the evolution of the city.
Lacaton & Vassal: Get to Know 2021 Pritzker Winners' Built Work
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Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal founded their architectural studio Lacaton & Vassal in 1987, years after studying and working together at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture et de Paysage de Bordeaux. The practice established in Paris has been awarded this year’s prestigious 2021 Pritzker Prize. Their built work leaves strong evidence of what they believe is relevant: sustainability, wellbeing, social responsibility, and the readaptation and the respect of the existing built environment.
International Sports Sciences Institute / Karamuk Kuo

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Architects: Karamuk Kuo
- Year: 2018
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Manufacturers: dormakaba, Veralubois
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Professionals: Kartec Engineering & Weber, Brönnimann AG, HRS Real Estate AG
COOP Interpretation Center & Incubator / BOGDAN & VAN BROECK

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Architects: BOGDAN & VAN BROECK
- Area: 5099 m²
- Year: 2016
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Professionals: Ney & Partners
The Cosmopolitan Building / BOGDAN & VAN BROECK

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Architects: BOGDAN & VAN BROECK
- Area: 16000 m²
- Year: 2019
Louis Kahn's Dormitories for the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad Saved from Demolition
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As reported in The Times of India, the board of governors for the Indian Institute of Management, in Ahmedabad, India has canceled the proposal to demolish Louis Kahn’s buildings on campus and replacing them with new structures, after a worldwide pushback from the international architecture community.
Sonnenklang Installation / Christoph Hesse Architects

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Architects: Christoph Hesse Architects
- Area: 5 m²
- Year: 2020
Pflug Installation / Christoph Hesse Architects

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Architects: Christoph Hesse Architects
- Area: 30 m²
- Year: 2020
Dormitories Built by Louis Kahn, Part of the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, Set to be Demolished
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The board of the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad (IIMA) has announced that the dormitories, built by Louis Kahn and part of the overall campus design, will be demolished and replaced. In fact, the administration plans to “bring down at least 14 of 18 dorms which were built between 1968 and 1978" for showing "problems of leakages from the roof, dampness in walls, leakages in toilet walls, slabs, etc.”, according to the Indian Express.
Fernando Martirena: "Contemporary Cuban Architecture is Alegal and Almost Non-Existent"

"What Are We Talking About When We Talk about Contemporary Cuban Architecture?" is the title of the article written by Fernando Martirena in Rialta Magazine that delves into the reality of architecture within Cuban society. Essentially, it receives so little attention that it might as well not exist. This prompted the birth of the Cuban Architecture Studios Group (Grupo de Estudios Cubanos de Arquitectura), of which Martirena is a member, a collective that aims to give modern Cuban architecture a platform and a voice.
ArchDaily sat down with Martirena to talk about the group and the state of architecture today in his native Cuba.
Built Nature: When Architecture Challenges Human Scale

Going beyond human scale is not a novelty. For centuries, builders, engineers, and architects have been creating monumental edifices to mark spirituality or political power. Larger than life palaces, governmental buildings, or temples have always attracted people’s admiration and reverence, nourishing the still not fully comprehensible obsession with large scale builds.
Nowadays, some of the largest and most impressive structures relate less to religious or governmental functions and seem to be turning towards more cultural programs. Most importantly though, today’s grandiose works are generally and openly imitative of Nature.
Axel Springer Campus / OMA

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Architects: OMA
- Area: 57828 m²
- Year: 2019
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Professionals: Arup, Lerch Bates, Les Eclaireurs, ZWP Ingenieur-AG, Kahle Acoustics, +10
Suhrkamp Ensemble Offices / Bundschuh Architekten

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Architects: Bundschuh Architekten
- Area: 6851 m²
- Year: 2020
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