The Rolex mentoring programme helping young architects thrive
Although she is an architect, Anne Lacaton does not think that an architectural project necessarily leads to building. In one memorable example, she and partner Jean-Philippe Vassal – her co-founder in Parisian studio Lacaton & Vassal – were invited to revitalise a public square in Bordeaux. After research and observation, which involved regular conversations with locals, the pair decided the square was fine as it was. Their suggestion was to simply replace the gravel and improve general maintenance routines.
‘Doing very little can be a big project,’ Lacaton says. ‘It’s not a lack of ambition; sometimes it results from an accurate understanding of a situation.’
The same thinking defines the projects for which the pair are best known, a series of renovations of large-scale social-housing blocks across France. This work, which won them the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, injected new life into buildings that may otherwise have been demolished and replaced. Now, as part of the Rolex mentoring programme, Lacaton is working with young Lebanese-Armenian architect Arine Aprahamian to explore how this approach could benefit a low-income neighbourhood in Beirut.
Established in 2002, the Rolex mentoring programme pairs established artists with emerging talents, funding them for a two- year project of their choosing. It underlines a commitment by the Swiss watch-maker, which is owned by a non-profit foundation, to support the development of the creative industries.
Lacaton is one of five mentors in the 2023-24 cycle, alongside film-maker Jia Zhang-Ke, author Bernardine Evaristo, musician Dianne Reeves and sculptor El Anatsui. She chose to work with Aprahamian after discovering the architect’s reverence for the neighbourhood in which she grew up. Established in the 1930s as a settlement for Armenian refugees, Bourj Hammoud’s architectural value is not immediately apparent. But to Aprahamian, it brims with possibility. Like Lacaton, she wants to unlock the value that is already present, rather than building something new for new’s sake.
‘People may initially be overwhelmed by neighbourhoods like Bourj Hammoud,’ Aprahamian explains. ‘Their first instinct, architecturally, is to remove and replace much of what is already there. When we do that, we lose value, community, interaction, tradition and culture – as chaotic as it is, this place has meaning to the people who live there, and holds lots of potential for creative solutions and revival.’
Over the past two years, Aprahamian has spent countless hours walking Bourj Hammoud’s streets and conversing with residents. She found that, despite the scarcity of public space amid the density of built structures, many buildings were vacant. Armed with photographs, drawings, survey maps and research papers, she identified three sites where simple interventions could accommodate a range of community activities.
With no shiny new building among her drawings, Aprahamian’s findings are a departure from most previous Rolex architecture protégés, whose mentors have included Peter Zumthor, Kazuyo Sejima, Álvaro Siza and David Chipperfield. With her proposals, she hopes to show how the Lacaton & Vassal mantra of ‘never demolish, never remove or replace, always add, transform and reuse’ can be applied to any situation. ‘Anne gave me newfound perspective,’ Aprahamian says. ‘If you absorb and really understand what is already there, you can create thoughtful and well-received responses,’ lacatonvassal.com; arineaprahamian.com.
