The 2021 Pritzker Prize, considered the highest annual honor in architecture, has been awarded to a French couple who prioritize kindness in their designs.

The 2021 Pritzker Prize, an annual award considered the highest honor in the architecture profession, has been awarded to Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal.
According to an article by Neda Ulaby, there's an element of surprise to this year's selection. Even Lacaton and Vassal say they are surprised as anyone else.
Lacaton and Vassal could not be more different from an earlier generation of Pritzker "starchitects," known for their signature styles, statement skyscrapers and flamboyant follies. Instead, the two apply a credo: "Never demolish, never remove or replace, always add, transform, and reuse!" to their work on old urban buildings. That includes dilapidated public housing (or "social housing" as it is known in France). Designs by Lacaton and Vassal have focused on replenishing low-income housing complexes, aesthetically and functionally, while respecting — rather than displacing — the tenants who live there.
Lacaton described some of the couple's philosophy in a 2017 lecture delivered to the Architectural League of New York. "Buildings are beautiful when people feel well in them," said Lacaton in the lecture. "When the light inside is beautiful and the air is pleasant. When the exchange with the outside seems easy and gentle, and when uses and sensations are unexpected." Lacaton also added this bombshell: "There's a lot of violence in architecture and urbanism. We try to be precise. We try to work with kindness."
Ulaby offers that the couple's approach to architecture could provide a model for urban planning in the United States. With a focus on cost-effective and creative adaption, the work of Lacaton and Vassal certainly stands in contrast to the influence of Robert Moses and Le Corbusier and the urban renewal programs of U.S. planning history.



FULL STORY: 2021 Pritzker Prize Goes To French Architects Who 'Work With Kindness'

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions