One of their influential projects was the world’s first government-subsidized, large-scale, community-driven neighborhood renewal project, a site called Benny Farm. Originally conceived in 1947 as housing for families of returning World War II veterans, Benny Farm was a flourishing community until the late 1970’s when it faced the challenges of aging residents and an increasingly decrepit infrastructure. In 1989, plans were made to demolish the old structures and sell some of the land to finance new buildings. L’Oeuf’s success was in navigating the competing concerns of ecological sustainability, affordability, working with government agencies and stimulating the necessary changes to legislation in order to avoid private development of the site.

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While most designers focus either on perfecting elements of a design (i.e., choosing sustainable materials) or the impact that the final product has on the user’s experience (i.e., designing a building that is aesthetically pleasing) Lacaton and Vassal focus on both aspects. For example, a skillful selection of materials enables the architects to build larger living spaces affordably. Not only do they think deeply about the best way to construct the built environment, but they ensure that their designs exceed basic function, inspiring joy and quality of life. 

In 2004, together with Frédéric Druot, Lacaton and Vassal made headlines with their manifesto PLUS, which pushed back against the French government’s proposal to demolish urban, post-war social housing and replace it with smaller, more expensive new units. Over the ensuing years, the three architects and Christophe Hutin reconfigured modernist housing blocks in Paris, Saint Nazaire, and Bordeaux. This result was less expensive than rebuilding. Additionally, low-income residents were not forced to move outside the city. To minimize inconvenience to the residents, much of the retrofitting was prefabricated so the construction could be implemented with inhabitants on site. The replacement of the facade lasted about 2 days and after a few weeks, a resident could have an improved, larger home.

Current works in progress include the transformation of a former hospital into a 138-unit, a mid-rise apartment building in Paris, and an 80-unit, mid-rise building in Anderlecht; the transformation of an office building in Paris; and the renovation of the Kampnagel theater in Hamburg.

They were awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2021

We had an opportunity to speak with Anne and Jean Phillipe. Listen here.

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Kraftwerk1’s primary innovation lies in project organization. They seek land in undesirable parts of a city and broker deals with owners desperate to offload their unused land. The communities finance the capital improvement by a graduated contribution scheme based on income. This allows the collective to admit those who financially might not otherwise be able to afford the rent. Even in so doing, Kraftwerk1 typically achieves rents at 20% below market.

Although Kraftwerk1 has chosen a different architect for each of its projects, a common theme in its design philosophy is an open and flexible architectural design strategy. Their buildings also provide a suite of communal amenities, often including a shop, a kindergarten, and a restaurant. Their latest project, Project Koch, involves building 325 affordable homes with commercial use on the ground floor, and is expected to be completed by 2026.

Kraftwerk1 is an illustration of how concept organization can make a project more than the sum of its parts. A building’s design must exist in partnership with the design of the community that lives there. Designers can do both when they recognize the interplay between building, occupant and community.

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Kirschenfeld is also the founder of the Institute for Public Architecture, a non-profit which promotes socially responsible architects, provides a supportive community for its practitioners, and hosts an ongoing residency program for architects, urbanists, designers, and theorists at its new home at the Block House on Governors Island. 

Kirschenfeld’s method focuses on identifying under-utilized portions of civic land that were passed over for private development and bringing world-class design to the city’s neediest residents.  The resulting projects combine housing with social services that help residents transcend chronic homelessness.  By pushing the expectations of what supportive housing can be, Kirschenfeld’s projects elevate the neighborhoods where they are situated.

Beyond housing, Kirschenfeld has drawn international distinction for the re-purposing of a cargo vessel into the Floating Pool—a temporary pool complex located in the East River in the Bronx, a neighborhood lacking in public pool facilities. Historically, temporary pools built on barges moored in the river were common in New York, but the practice died out in the 1930’s. The Floating Pool hosted over 50,000 visitors during its eight-week season and won the 2007 international Award of Excellence from the Waterfront Center. The Pool was also honored as the runner-up in the prestigious 2007 Cooper-Hewitt Museum People’s Choice Design Award, and has received a 2008 Masterwork Award, among other awards.

Jonathan joined us for a conversation with Brenda Rosen of Breaking Ground where we tackled the right to housing in the neoliberal era. Have a listen.

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In the Drs. Julian and Raye Richardson Apartments, built in the trendy neighborhood of Hayes Valley in San Francisco, community members were concerned about having people who were formerly homeless move in so close to their own homes. However, DBA designs take care to create a whole community that unifies populations at both ends of the social spectrum. The finished project, developed on a site that opened up after an earthquake collapsed a freeway onramp, is now a vital part of the community. 

The building itself is friendly and livable; All units get natural light, there are on-site medical and counseling resources for residents, and there are even amenities such as outdoor terraces and a roof garden. Additionally, the street-level retail businesses, including a non-profit bakery, bring life and activity to a once deserted corner.

Currently, the practice is working on multiple projects. One such project, 2118 Sacramento street, has 75 units and will bring modular affordable housing for the formerly homeless to Vallejo, California. Another project, Sutter Park, is a 14-story high-rise that will offer 221 new homes, including 44 on-site affordable units, and an adjacent 3,500-square-foot child care center in San Francisco.

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With a traditional shelter model, moving residents out as soon as possible is frequently a priority. The resident might be ‘back on their feet’ for a period of time and then suffer a setback which sees them lose their housing again. Because shelter is only one part of the equation, a shelter-only approach has proven insufficient at actually combatting homelessness. By understanding homelessness as a multi-layered condition, Breaking Ground has made substantial progress in moving individuals and families away from recurring instability.

Breaking Ground offers its clients a complete suite of services to address concerns typically faced by homeless populations. For example, residents are provided with access to job training, substance use counseling, social support, and public benefits. The constellation of services works to address many of the root causes of chronic homelessness. Moreover, Breaking Ground’s clients are provided homes without obligation to complete a drug rehabilitation program, obtain sobriety or to meet most any other precondition.

Opened in 2022, its Betances Residence in the South Bronx is one of only a handful of supportive residences to embrace the Passive House standard, which aims to reduce energy use and push further toward net-zero emissions in new construction. In Summer of 2022, Breaking Ground opened their first passive house for homeless and low-income seniors using ground up new construction designed by COOKFOX Architects. This building will be the second largest supportive residence in the nation, converting a 29 story building in DUMBO, Brooklyn to this use. 

We had an opportunity to speak with Jonathan Kirschenfeld and Brenda Rosen on Social Design Insights. Listen to the episodes below.

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Lacaton & Vassal Deconstructs Their Widely Acclaimed methods for the Readaptation of Modernist housing blocks in France.

Lacaton & Vassal is a Curry Stone Foundation Social Design Circle Honoree. Read more about it here.

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The Asian Coalition for Housing Rights share their strategies.

The Asian Coalition for Housing Rights is a Curry Stone Foundation Social Design Circle Honoree. Read more about it here.

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About Breaking Ground
Breaking Ground, formerly known as Common Ground, was an early pioneer in social housing in New York City, and has since grown to become the largest provider in the city. It re-purposes older buildings and builds new ones that combine dignified, permanent, affordable housing with services that support residents in breaking their cycle of homelessness. It calls its model “supportive housing.”

Jonathan Kirschenfeld and Breaking Ground are both Curry Stone Foundation Social Design Circle Honorees. Read more about them here:

• Jonathan Kirschenfeld
• Breaking Ground

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