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'
L.A. Councilmember Proposes Social Housing Model
Inspired by the success of Vienna, Austria, Los Angeles leaders are considering public housing as a faster, more effective way to curb the city’s homelessness crisis.
How Paris Improved Sustainability and Livability In Its Public Housing
Over the last decade, the city has made massive investments in retrofitting 'social housing' with minimal disruptions and displacement of residents.
The Need for Social Housing in Seattle
Seattle trails international peer cities in its social housing stock, but there are steps city leaders can take to produce more units and increase affordability.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Amtrak Takes Lead on Texas Central Rail
The high-speed rail project isn’t a done deal, but if it moves forward, trains could begin operating in 2030.
Maine Approves Rent Relief Program
Legislators hope the assistance program will help struggling low-income households avoid eviction.
How Transit Architecture Impacts Real and Perceived Safety
More than a third of Americans believe major transit systems are too unsafe to ride. The built environment can change that.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
