Jean-Philippe Vassal

Jean-Philippe Vassal co-founded Lacaton and Vassal with Anne Lacaton in 1987. The French practice is known for adding space, light, and winter gardens rather than demolishing existing buildings.

Lacaton and Vassal received the 2021 Pritzker Prize for an approach centered on reuse, generosity, and social housing improvement. Their work often argues that transformation can be better than demolition.

Grand Parc Bordeaux transformed 530 apartments in three housing blocks with Anne Lacaton, Jean-Philippe Vassal, Frédéric Druot, and Christophe Hutin. Completed in the 2010s, it added large winter gardens and balconies while residents largely remained in place.

Lacaton and Vassal renovated parts of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, preserving its raw, unfinished character. The 2002 project became a key example of the firm's low-intervention approach.