Lacaton & Vassal: Rothwell Chair Symposium

Anne Lacaton & Jean Philippe Vassal, French architects who have recently been named 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureates, were appointed co-chairs of the inaugural, 3 year Rothwell Chair at the Sydney School of Architecture, Design, and Planning in 2020 to explore their topic: ‘we propose to deal with contemporary urban conditions of living in the city’.

Renowned for their multiple sustainable housing projects, such as 530 units within 3 buildings at Grand Parc in Bordeaux, France, French architects, Anne Lacaton & Jean Philippe Vassal want to highlight the quality of housing and ensure that it is welcoming and comfortable. They defend the principle of generosity of space as a critical condition for living well in big cities.

Lacaton & Vassal oppose demolition, which they consider an enormous waste of energy, material and history. "Transformation is the opportunity to do more and better with what already exists," is a major value of their architectural practice.

Symposium speakers will include: Lacaton & Vassal discussing a number of their projects over all three evening sessions; Andreas Hofer, Swiss architect and developer and director for the International Building Exhibition in Stuttgart; Christophe Hutin, architect and curator of the French pavilion at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale; as well as academics such as Professor Nicole Gurran from the Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning who has written extensively on urban planning and housing affordability in Australia.

The Rothwell Chair Symposium 2021 is a free, online event from 27 – 29 April and will showcase exemplary social and affordable housing design by International and Australian architectural firms and researchers, with an emphasis on engaging the real political, financial and planning contexts.

There are 5 sessions. Please register through the links below.

• Session 1, Tuesday 27 April 6:30pm-8pm AEST Living in the city: transformation, intensification

• Session 2, Wednesday 28 April 12pm-1:30pm AEST Living in the city: re-thinking housing models – Victoria

• Session 3, Wednesday 28 April 6:30pm-8pm AEST Living in the city: re-thinking housing models

• Session 4, Thursday 29 April 12pm-1:30pm AEST Living in the city: new propositions, questioning costs, planning and policy

• Session 5, Thursday 29 April 6:30pm-8pm AEST Living in the city: new propositions, questioning cost-per-square-metre and generosity