Renowned photographer Laurian Ghinitoiu has shared with ArchDaily a series of photos of one of the most influential projects of recent Pritzker Laureates, Anne Lacaton, and Jean-Philippe Vassal. The Transformation of the 530 dwellings in Bordeaux, 3 modernist residential buildings, reflect Lacaton & Vassal's sensitivity towards understanding existing structures. It also highlights how with minimal interventions, radical changes can be made to the habitability and usability of a modernist building -knowing that in Europe, the majority of these structures have ended up being demolished-. This approach was enough to select this transformation as the winner of the EU Mies 2019 Award, for the best contemporary architecture in Europe.
According to the 2019 EU Mies van der Rohe Awards jury, the project “presents the housing question in a different way and speaks about the heritage of the mass housing of the 20th century, its impending demolition and the improvement of living conditions through transformation”. Moreover, direct conversation with the inhabitants of the transformation was key behind this award's decision.
In the following photographic essay by Laurian Ghinitoiu, images showcase not only the architectural intervention but also the intimacy and habitability achieved, in this great work by Lacaton & Vassal, reflecting the spirit behind the architecture of the Pritzker Prize Laureates.