ARCHITECTURE MASTER | LACATON & VASSAL: WINNERS OF THE MIES VAN DER ROHE PRIZE 2019

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10-04-2019

Mies van der Rohe Award 2019

The housing project Grand Parc in Bordeaux, designed by the renowned firm Lacaton & Vassal, has been announced as the winner of the Mies van der Rohe Prize for Contemporary Architecture for its 2019 edition. This housing-renovation project was thought to improve the quality of 530 dwellings in Bordeaux, and its construction was finished in 2017. The project was developed in collaboration with Frederic Druot Architecture and Christophe Hutin Architecture.

Anne Lacaton, who is one of the founding partners and directors of Lacaton & Vassal, is also a regular professor of the Master in Collective Housing for many years, and she is coming in April to Madrid to lead the Workshop 04 at the MCH, called "Housing and Reuse", and assisted by Spanish Professor Diego García-Setién. Lacaton has been Workshop Leader of the MCH'2010, MCH'2011, MCH'2012, MCH'2013, MCH'2017, MCH'2018, and MCH'2019,

We are really glad about this amazing news for Prof. Lacaton and her team, and we hope this prize pushes them to keep creating more inclusive housing architecture around the world. Congratulations Anne, and see you soon!

Transformation of 530 Dwellings in Bordeaux. Grand Parc

The project contemplated the transformation of 530 homes located in three linear blocks of social housing in Bordeaux, France. The renovation consists mainly in the demolition of the original facade and the construction of a new and habitable facade that improve the apartments and the conditions of live of the inhabitants.

From the architects website:

The project consists of the transformation of 3 inhabited social buildings, first phasis of a renovation program of the 'Cité du Grand Parc' in Bordeaux.

Built in the early 60's, this urban housing counts more than 4000 dwellings. The 3 buildings G, H and I, 10 to 15 floors high gather 530 dwellings and give a capacity of transforming into beautiful dwellings with redefined qualities and comfort.

The addition of extended wintergardens and balconies give the opportunity, for each apartment, to enjoy more natural light, more fluidity of use and more views.

From the inside, the view on Bordeaux is panoramic and unique, due to the city low topography. It is an extraordinary living situation.

When the high-rise buildings for high-class residences are defined as examples of a responsible housing for the future, the G, H and I buildings offer the opportunity to reach these qualities right away, in a generous, economic and sustainable manner.

The general economy of the project is based on the choice of conserving the existing building without making important interventions on the structure, the stairs or the floors.

This approach on economy makes possible to focus the energy on generous extensions that are, according to us, the key to enhance in a lasting way the dwellings quality and dimension. These extensions widen the space of use and the evolution of the dwelling and give the opportunity, as in a house, to live outside, while being home.

The apartments open on to large wintergardens and balconies, and offer pleasant outdoor spaces, large enough to be fully used : 3,80m deep on the south facades of H and I building and the 2 façades of G building.

Anne Lacaton BIO

Born in France in 1955. Graduated from the School of architecture of Bordeaux in 1980. Diploma in Urban Planning at the university of Bordeaux in 1984. Visiting professor at the University of Madrid, MCH Master in Collective Housing 2007-2013, 2017, at the EPFL Lausanne, 2004, 2006 and 2010-11, University of Florida, Ivan Smith Studio in 2012, University of NY-Buffalo, Clarkson Chair in 2013, at the Pavillon Neuflize OBC-Palais de Tokyo, Paris, in 2013-2014, at Harvard GSD : Kenzo Tange 2011 & Design critic 2015, at TU Delft, sem 2016-17.

Anne Lacaton at the MCH:

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Master in Collective Housing UPM/ETH

Next edition of the MAS in Collective Housing will start in January 2020, the application period is opened till 31.12.2019 or until vacancies are filled.

The Master of Architecture in Collective Housing, MCH, is a postgraduate full-time international professional program of advanced architecture design in cities and housing presented by Universidad Politécnica of Madrid (UPM) and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH). Apply now!

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