Not Yet Beautiful Enough: Interview with Anne Lacaton
Published in the second Volume of OBL//QUE the Critical Conservation Journal (click here).
Architect Anne Lacaton talks about hers, Frédéric Druot and Jean-Philippe Vassal’s “PLUS" principle* from a new perspective, tackling some fundamental Critical Conservation issues and explaining the architects’ position towards the Preservation discipline. The architect also explains the relationship of the firm to the masters of the Modern movement, clarifying the complexities faced by contemporary architects when dealing with modern mass housing projects in France. Some of her thoughts today sound even more compelling, as the recent Grenfell Tower disaster in London arises questions of maintenance, safety, and exterior aspect of Post-WWII housing complexes. Thanks to her special sensitivity, the architect educates the reader to the fundamental, yet overlooked values of this living organisms, today part and parcel of the consolidated fabric of the city.
* PLUS, large-scale housing developments, an exceptional case.
Authors : Frédéric Druot, Anne Lacaton & Jean Philippe Vassal
“There are certainly problems with building obsolescence (in fact it is necessary to update all the equipment, the façades are too light, the acoustics are not good) ... But to renovate after 50 years is quite normal.
We see also there are people who live there for whom these are their buildings, their home. It is important to take that into account. All these issues, therefore, lead us to look at things differently, and it starts from the principle that we do not look at buildings only from the outside by saying, ‘It’s not beautiful.’ Instead we look for the potential to make it good. ”
