Lacaton & Vassal

Anne Lacaton (b. 1955) and Jean-Philippe Vassal (b. 1954). Their thesis — "never demolish, never subtract, always add" — is most fully realised in the renovation of the Cité du Grand Parc (Bordeaux, 2017, with Druot), where 530 social-housing units gained winter-garden balconies and floor area without any tenant being relocated.

Polycarbonate, agricultural greenhouse glazing, prefabricated steel — cheap industrial materials deployed to add air, light, and floor area to existing buildings.

Pritzker laureates 2021 (jointly). The Bordeaux project won the EU Mies Award 2019.