French studio Lacaton & Vassal has been named the winner of this year's Soane Medal for producing "some of the most important buildings of our time".
Social housing specialist Lacaton & Vassal, which is led by French duo Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, was honoured for its 30-year body of work that focuses on reuse.
"Lacaton & Vassal's priority is to avoid unnecessary waste by transforming buildings in ways that will be beneficial for the occupants, the local community and its ecology," said 2023 Soane Medal jury chair Alice Rawsthorn.
"By doing so, they have quietly produced some of the most important buildings of our time. All their projects are defined by the needs and wishes of the people who will use them, and their personal responsibilities as architects."
The annual Soane Medal is given by the Sir John Soane's Museum "to encourage a better understanding of the central importance of architecture in culture and society".
Lacaton & Vassal's recognition follows the studio winning the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2021.
The studio is known for its positive attitude towards renovation, describing demolition as an "act of violence".
Among the duo's key projects are the renovation of a 1960s housing block in Bordeaux and the adaptive reuse of a former shipbuilding workshop in Dunkirk. We recently rounded up 10 of the studio's key works.
"What comes after should always be better than what was there before," said Lacaton & Vassal.
"The buildings that people inhabit – their homes, workplaces and social spaces – should bring pleasure; architecture should be generous and free," they continued.
"We are overjoyed to be awarded this year's Soane Medal. As Soane furthered the discipline in his own time, we are pleased to join a group of Medallists who demonstrate architecture's role in each aspect of society today."
Last year's Soane Medal was awarded to Peter Barber for "devoting his life" to helping resolve the UK's housing crisis, while previous winners include Rafael Moneo, Denise Scott Brown and Kenneth Frampton.
Lacaton & Vassal will give the annual Soane Medal lecture tonight and receive a replica of a gold medal that was presented to Sir John Soane by the Architects of England in 1835.
The photography is by Philippe Ruault.
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