Inhabiting, Free Space, Transformation

You are cordially invited to attend the lecture event by Lacaton & Vassal:

Date: Thursday, 14th August 2025
Time: 18:00-20:00
Venue: Auditorium 2, Stephen Riady Centre,
2 College Avenue West, Level 2, University Town, Singapore 138607

BOA-SIA CPD: 2 points

Lecture is free entry and strictly via registration only.

Register here.

Inhabiting,
Free Space,
Transformation

The lecture will present some of the studio’s most significant projects. They form a continuous process, constantly reformulating recurring themes and questions, with always attention and adaptation to the contexts, the inhabitants, to what is already there and what makes the value of places.

The following themes will be addressed during the conference through the presentation of projects:

Inhabiting. Living well in the city is the most important challenge of our time. Any urban strategy start with the quality of housing for all.

Extra space. Large spaces provide an essential sense of escape and freedom, facilitate appropriation, encourage social interaction and promote social life. Building larger spaces for living, i.e. twice the size on the same budget, creates new ways of living.

Climate. Living with the climate rather than fighting it. Create a relationship of exchange rather than protection, and design bioclimatic architecture to maximise the use of the natural resources offered by the climate, sun, light and ventilation.

Existing. The existing environment provides the preliminary structure for all our projects. Every place has a value that needs to be carefully observed, revealed and preserved. It is always more interesting to add to, join, extend, or overlap the existing structure than to start from scratch.

Transformation. Transforming the existing means taking advantage of what is already there, adding to it, extending it and making it the driving force of a new project. It enables the inhabitants to stay there, to welcome new inhabitants and save all kinds of energy and networks. This approach is economic, ecological, social and sustainable. We defend the position of never demolishing, never subtracting, always reusing and transforming.

Economy. is a key point that allows a positive maximisation of the budget. It makes it possible to do more with the same budget and to spend less and better.

About the speakers

Anne Lacaton and Jean Philippe Vassal are distinguished architects recognized for their innovative and sustainable contributions to contemporary architecture. 

Anne Lacaton, born in France in 1955, graduated from the School of Architecture of Bordeaux and holds a diploma in Urban Planning from the University of Bordeaux. She has held numerous prestigious academic positions worldwide, including Professor Emerita at ETH Zurich and visiting professorships at renowned institutions such as Harvard GSD, EPFL Lausanne, and the University of Sydney.

Jean Philippe Vassal, born in Casablanca, Morocco in 1954, also graduated from the School of Architecture of Bordeaux. He brings extensive experience in urban planning, notably in Niger, and has served as a professor at UDK Berlin and as a visiting professor across Europe and Australia.

Together, Lacaton & Vassal have received numerous international honors, including the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the Soane Medal (2023), the EU Mies van der Rohe Award (2019), and multiple lifetime achievement awards. Their work is celebrated for its commitment to sustainability, social responsibility, and architectural innovation.