Placed beside the Boulevard Peripherique, the tower is located in the 17th district of the French capital and was originally built in 1961 by Raymond López as an elegant residential high-rise with split-level and maisonette apartments. It was then remodelled beyond recognition in the 1990s in a refurbishment of the building's services engineering, and subsequently transformed by Druot, Lacaton & Vassal into a completely new residential building in 2011. In the context of the European Central Bank's European Cultural Days 2012, the exhibition at the DAM documents the conversion of a typical first-generation residential high-rise in the banlieues of Paris as a field of experimentation for new forms of living. By converting the Tour Bois Le Prêtre, French architects Anne Lacaton, Jean-Philippe Vassal and Frédéric Druot have made a clear statement in favour of upgrading the sprawling 1960s developments. The apartment footprints were modified slightly and a new glass façade was installed. Winter gardens and balconies extend the residents' living space.
Launched to coincide with the exhibition, the catalogue includes a deeper analysis of the project. Published by Ruby Press, the book is edited in English and German by Ilka & Andreas Ruby and Peter Cachola Schmal. Gonzalo Herrero Delicado (@GonzaloHerrero), Maria José Marcos (@magicarch)
Sitting in one of the numerous chairs, armchairs or sofas and perusing the catalogue to find out how this stunning transformation was possible, the visitor forgets that he is in a museum context
Druot, Lacaton & Vassal – Transformation of a 1960's residential highrise
Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM)
Schaumainkai 43, Frankfurt
