Philip Ursprung selected his colleague from ETH University in Zurich – renowned French architect Anne Lacaton – for the forthcoming dialogue. The main theme of the evening was freedom and form in the field of architecture. A central role will be played by selected realizations from the studio Lacaton & Vassal, which will first be presented by the authors themselves and then reflected on together with Swiss theorists.

Anne Lacato together Jean-Phillipem Vassalem established an architectural office in Bordeaux in 1987 Lacaton & Vassal, currently operating in Paris. The studio has won many awards, including the National Grand Prix for Young and Early Architects (1999). The culmination of their approach to writing will be the award of the Pritzker Prize in 2021. Their notable projects include the School of Architecture at Nantes (2009), the redevelopment of the FRAC Dunkirk wharf (2013) into a regional contemporary art museum or museum of contemporary art. redevelopment of three prefabricated houses in Bordeaux (2016). Anne Lacaton is also a professor emeritus at ETH University in Zurich, she performed in Prague at the invitation of Kruh in 2013, when she filled the great hall of the Světozor cinema.

Lacaton & Vassal, MEET Economic Center | Zdroj: KRUH

rightStudio Lacaton & Vassal gradually become a concept, their works are fresh and very authoritative. They also demonstrated a new approach during the revitalization of the square in Bordeaux, which they decided not to reconstruct, but to keep it in its original form based on thorough analysis. So, in principle, they refused the contract. Another exemplary example is the rebuilding of prefabricated houses that they have been working on for a long time and became a model for the revitalization of post-war construction in Europe. The meeting between Anne Lacaton and theorist Philip Ursprung will certainly be the event of the year on the architectural scene.” Marcela Steinbachová, founder of the association Kruh and dramaturg lectures, said on the topic of lectures.

Philip Ursprung is a renowned Swiss architectural theorist. He studied history, art history and Germany in Geneva, Vienna and also in Berlin. He has taught at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin, Columbia University in New York and the Institute of Architecture in Barcelona. He is a visiting curator at the Canadian Center for Architecture in Montreal, and is now a professor of art and architectural history at the prestigious ETH University of Zurich, where he headed the Institute of Architecture between 2017 and 2019. He is the author of a number of books and professional exhibitions dedicated to for, for example, the Swiss studio Herzog & de Meuron.

Lacaton & Vassal, 18 nursing homes in Rixheim | Photo: Philippe Ruault

“Life is more than a functional concept. It is also an expression of the satisfaction, nobility and freedom that comes from using space. It teaches us to think about what is around us and in front of us. Architecture means building a large number of situations that intersect and intersect. Designing space on the basis of living ideas means shaping it from within, not from the outside as a shallow and isolated act,“ In 2013, Anne Lacaton summarized the topic of Enjoyment of Space in a lecture organized by the Kruh association. The text was also published in the collection of Texts on Architecture 13/11.

The dialogue between Swiss theorist Philip Ursprung and French architect Anne Lacaton entitled Architectural Forms will take place on Thursday, April 7, 2022, starting at 8 p.m. in the Aero cinema. Entrance tickets to the event can be purchased at Aero cinema or v GoOut network. Association Bread has been involved in architectural education since 2001. Its main aim is to introduce contemporary and quality architecture to the public, open it to meaningful discussion and enable dialogue between the author and the residents of the city and municipality. The Circle hosts a series of lectures throughout the year with world and local architects, as well as the national Architectural Day festival and the Film and Architecture film festival.

Lacaton & Vassal, Transformation of 530 residences | Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu