Jean-Philippe Vassal: "The homes built today must escape the idea of a financial product"

BarcelonaIn the field of social housing, the couple formed by Anne Lacaton (Saint-Pardoux, 1955) and Jean-Philippe Vassal (Casablanca, 1954) has been a pioneer in putting people at the center and achieving the maximum benefits with minimal resources. Five years ago they won the Pritzker Prize, the Nobel of architects, for their “democratic spirit” that has managed to “renew” and “revitalize” the legacy of modern architecture. “Their work responds to the climatic and ecological emergencies of our time, as well as to social ones, particularly in the field of urban housing,” the jury said at the time. Two years earlier they had won the Mies van der Rohe Prize for the innovative renovation of 530 apartments from the 1960s in Bordeaux. Before intervening in the UIA congress this Monday, Jean-Philippe Vassal answers questions from ARA in writing.

With Anne Lacaton, they met in the 70s when they were studying architecture in Bordeaux. Their relationship continued when you went to work in Nigeria in the field of urban planning, after finishing your degree, and she visited you in summers and worked in Bordeaux in winters. What is the most important thing you learned during the time you lived in Africa?

— That when there is a minimum of material resources available, generous, effective, poetic and light solutions and answers can always be found, thanks to immediacy and imagination.

What led you to the idea of "never demolish, always transform, with and for the inhabitants"?

— It is precisely this stay in Africa that taught me that it was necessary, above all, to work with what exists, without preconceived ideas.

How do you relate to the users of your buildings? Do you think your relationship with them has evolved over the years?

— Unfortunately, we don't always know the users or inhabitants; in this case, the rule is to look for what will give them more possibilities and more freedom: more space, more light, more air, along with the tools or systems capable of defining, based on their needs or desires, what they want to do with this space, this air, this light.

They said that, in the field of housing, they work "from the inside" and not looking for a specific form. How does this translate specifically?

— The form is deduced or is the consequence of the assembly of all these fragments of interior spaces that welcome life, movement, stories.

What does "living well" in the city mean to you?

— To find in the city, in its density and diversity, at all levels, the same conditions one could have in a house: being able to walk around the apartment, go out onto a balcony, look at the sky.

They won the Mies van der Rohe award for the transformation of 530 apartments from the 1960s in Bordeaux, along with Frédéric Druot and Christophe Hutin. They managed to keep the renovation cost for each dwelling at 50,000 euros excluding VAT and to avoid an increase in rental prices. What does the idea of "generosity" mean to you, between tight budgets and potentially restrictive regulations?

— Housing built today must escape the idea of a financial product. Within the same economy, architects can build larger and brighter homes, even with tight budgets and regulations, which can also contribute to evolving the project.

What is essential in the "flexible" housing they propose?

— Space, light, the relationship with the outside, a form of simplicity.

Do you think your work has had a concrete impact on French public housing policies?

— No, not much.

Among the projects they have underway is the transformation of the former Saint‑Vincent‑de‑Paul Hospital into housing, that is, a change of typology. How have they approached this project? Is it very different from others?

— No, it stems from the desire to use what already exists as much as possible. In the case of a maternity hospital made up mostly of rooms on four floors, the transformation was quite evident, and then urban planning regulations provided the possibility of adding four more floors. Currently, we are working on the transformation of an administrative city: all transformations are possible as long as the characteristics and capacities of the existing structure are respected.

They speak more of a way of working and the will to create a model than of authorship in the classic sense of the term. Is housing a very local job or can some solutions be exported?

— Each dwelling is particular, in relation to its inhabitant, the situation and the climate; generosity, kindness and the will to do the maximum with the minimum can be a way of approaching any situation.

What impact have the Mies van der Rohe and Pritzker awards had on the reception of your work?

— The awards have made it possible to publicize our work.

Is there a notable difference in how you conceive a brand new project compared to a renovation project?

— There are no new projects. Each project is a transformation of a building, a space, a landscape, a society.