Rolex: The Value of the Existing. Anne Lacaton and Arine Aprahamian in conversation

Lebanese-Armenian architect, designer and researcher Arine Aprahamian champions an innovative, affordable and sustainable vision of the future through architecture, drawing inspiration from science fiction and the qualities of existing sites. She founded architecture and design studio MÜLLER APRAHAMIAN with partner Adrian Müller in 2018, working on cutting-edge buildings and proposals, as well as on forward-thinking projects with notable designers, artists and institutions. They recently launched Terraforma, an in-house R&D project working with local industry to explore the traditional, ancient building material of clay and produce innovative, domestic alternatives for architectural materials. She is currently 

Named a Laureate of the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize along with her partner Jean-Philippe Vassal, Anne Lacaton is recognized internationally for designs that maximize the discipline’s human and environmental potential and make sustainable use of what already exists. Established in Paris in 1987, Lacaton & Vassal has since designed dozens of private and social housing projects, cultural and academic institutions, as well as public spaces, mostly throughout Europe. Lacaton has served as an Associate Professor of Architecture and Design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich and has been a visiting professor at other leading universities, including the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 2025, she received the Jane Drew Prize for Architecture awarded for raising the profile of women in architecture.

Joseph Grima is an architect, curator and writer based in Milan, Italy. He is the co-founder of Space Caviar, an architecture and research studio working at the intersection of design, technology, critical theory, and the public realm, and Alcova, a platform for experimental design presented annually during Milan Design Week. He has curated several major international exhibitions on architecture and design, including the Chicago Architecture Biennial (2015). In 2026 he will curate the first Design Triennial at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.