ABSTRACT
For more than 25 years Anne Lacaton and Jean Philippe Vassal have been practising together from their studio in Paris. They have a pragmatic approach towards issues of climate change and sustainability as a whole, never relying on expensive technological solutions, rather considering challenges in a genuinely holistic manner. They are, however, perhaps best known for having an acute awareness of how to make generous, beautiful spaces affordable: they make clients’ money go further than most. Lacaton and Vassal’s challenge was to complete three-quarters of the works with one-quarter of the original budget. Lacaton and Vassal have an extensive knowledge of construction materials and systems new and old, and they understand where to apply additional fabric and when to leave it alone. By undertaking research at an almost forensic level, such as working with the original architect on the Tour Bois-le-Pretre, Lacaton and Vassal unearth unrealised potentials.
