Lacaton & Vassal

The Hyatt Foundation has since 1979 given the annual Pritzker Prize with a US$100,000 (84,000€) award. Chaired by Alejandro Aravena, the jury of the latest edition selected Lacaton & Vassal, considering that their work “reflects architecture’s democratic spirit,” and that “through their belief that architecture is more than just buildings, through the issues they address and the proposals they realize, through forging a responsible and sometimes solitary path,” they have shown that “the best architecture can be humble and is always thoughtful, respectful, and responsible.” Anne Lacaton (1955) and Jean-Philippe Vassal (1954) formed their joint practice in Paris in 1987, having both graduated from ENSAP Bordeaux and pursued further studies in urban planning. Grounded on common sense and environmental sensitivity, their work encompasses a range of types and scales, from housing-manifestos like the Latapie House and radical proposals like the Nantes School of Architecture to the intelligent transformation of the Bois-le-Prêtre Tower in Paris or the powerful mimetic strategy applied to the FRAC of Dunkirk.