Lacaton & Vassal: The Greenhouse Dwelling

The incredible thing about Lacaton & Vassal is the ingenuity with which they approach their projects. They reuse, refurbish and find inexpensive materials that are suited for their specific design. Started in Paris in 1987, Anna Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal have designed educational, commercial, cultural, and residential buildings. In this post, however, I will be focusing on their ability to create incredible, inexpensive buildings that not only work, but are also taking a step forward in mass housing.

 

The Social Housing project in Mulhouse, France ingeniously utilizes industrial products and materials to maximize the space that can be built. A greenhouse-like construction allows light to enter the upper story with two-thirds of the space using thermal heating. The raw material usage maximizes the space for the residents while letting them retain their privacy.

In my cut out, I looked at the ventilation and raw material usage. The heavier concrete lower level is superimposed by the light greenhouse structure above. It is a very successful housing project compared to the rest of the architects that were part of this social housing project. With simple materials you can still build a simple, "home, sweet, home."