Jean-Philippe Vassal (; born 22 February 1954) is a French architect and academic. He runs the architectural practice Lacaton & Vassal, with

Anne Lacaton Anne Lacaton (born 2 August 1955) is a French architect and educator. She runs the architectural practice Lacaton & Vassal, with Jean-Philippe Vassal. The pair were jointly awarded the 2021 Pritzker Prize. Early life and education She was bor ...

. The pair were jointly awarded the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize.

Early life and education

Vassal was born 1954 in Casablanca during the

French Protectorate of Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco (french: Protectorat français au Maroc; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في المغرب), also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco between 1912 to 1956. The prote ...

. He graduated from the

École nationale supérieure d'architecture et de paysage de Bordeaux The École nationale supérieure d'architecture et de paysage de Bordeaux (ENSAPBx) is a French school which provides training leading to the national diploma of architect, as well as the State diploma of landscape gardener (DEP). The school is ...

in 1980. After graduating, he spent five years in

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languages

Architectural practice

Vassal founded the practice Lacaton & Vassal with

in Bordeaux in 1987, which moved to Paris in 2000. The work of Lacaton & Vassel focuses on reduced-cost construction. Lacaton & Vassel carried out many international projects in the area of housing. They accomplish the high profile renovation of the

Palais de Tokyo The Palais de Tokyo (''Tokyo Palace'') is a building dedicated to modern and contemporary art, located at 13 avenue du Président-Wilson, facing the Trocadéro, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The eastern wing of the building belongs to ...

in Paris. In 2019 the Grand Parc Bordeaux (with Frédéric Druot and Christophe Hutin) was selected winner of the European Union's 2019

Mies van der Rohe Award The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award is a prize given biennially by the European Union and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona, 'to acknowledge and reward quality architectural production in Eu ...

, for the best contemporary architecture in Europe. L'école d'architecture (Nantes) (9304278276)

The French architects, who are based in the Paris suburb of Montreuil, believe that every structure can be repurposed, reinvented, reinvigorated.

Academic career

Vassal has been visiting professor at institutes such as the Architecture School of Versailles (2002–2006), the

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

(EPF Lausanne; 2010–11), the

Technische Universität Berlin The Technical University of Berlin (official name both in English and german: link=no, Technische Universität Berlin, also known as TU Berlin and Berlin Institute of Technology) is a public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was ...

(TU Berlin; 2007–10) and

Universität der Künste Berlin The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universiti ...

(UDK Berlin; since 2012).

Awards and honours: Lacaton & Vassal

* 1991: Lauréats des Albums de la Jeune Architecture, France * 1999: Grand Prix National d'Architecture Jeune Talent, France * 2006: Schelling Architecture Award, Germany * 2006: Sustainability and innovation in housing, Erich Schelling Foundation * 2008: Grand Prix National d'Architecture * 2009: French International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects * 2011: Paris Daylight & Building Components Award * 2011:

Prix de l'Équerre d'Argent The Prix d'architecture de l'Équerre d'argent (The Silver T-square Prize) is a French architecture award. This prize was launched in 1960 by "Architecture Française" magazine and its director Michel Bourdeau. It is given annually by Le Moniteu ...

(with ) * 2014:

Rolf Schock Prize The Rolf Schock Prizes were established and endowed by bequest of philosopher and artist Rolf Schock (1933–1986). The prizes were first awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1993 and, since 2005, are awarded every three years. Each recipient current ...

, Fine arts category * 2016: Simon Architecture Prize/ Fondation Mies Van der Rohe – The Living Places (with Frederic Druot) * 2016: Life Time Achievement – Trienal de Arquitectura de Lisboa * 2016: Gold medal of the

Académie d'architecture The Académie d'Architecture () is a French learned society whose purpose is the recognition of architectural quality. Founded in 1840 as the Société Centrale des Architectes (; en, "Central Society of Architects"), the society was renamed Ac ...

* 2016: Heinrich Tessenow Medal, Germany * 2019:

Mies van der Rohe Prize The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award is a prize given biennially by the European Union and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona, 'to acknowledge and reward quality architectural production in Eu ...

* 2020: Grand BDA Prize for their life's work * 2021: Pritzker Prize

References

External links

* – video interviews, philosophy, and work retrospective. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vassal, Jean-Philippe 1954 births Living people 20th-century French architects 21st-century French architects People from Casablanca Pritzker Architecture Prize winners Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts