In this book, the French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, winners of the 2021 Pritzker Prize, present their work through three concepts:

Free Space – the ideal space would invariably be generous of size, efficiency and comfort. This pre-determined aim is a fundamental principle for Lacaton and Vassal: it is no longer up for debate, and it forms the basis of all their projects.

Transformation – never demolish, always add, transform, extend. Apply free space to existing structures and situations. Treat the place as an existing prerequisite. Take the values of the place as it is and integrate them into the project, never in opposition to it.

Habiter – life, uses, making the space one’s own. Making the others and the inhabited space tangible through the frames of Karine Dana’s films, showing the life and inhabitants in nine built works by the architects.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition, Lacaton & Vassal: free space, transformation, habiter at Museo ICO, Madrid (6 October 2021 – 16 January 2022).

English and Spanish text.