vPPR in Conversation with James Brillon

James Brillon, a second-year Columbia GSAPP M.Arch student speaks with Tatiana von Preussen (M.Arch ’07), Catherine Pease, and Jessica Reynolds, the co-founders of London-based vPPR Architects. They met at Avery Hall prior to the trio’s lecture in January 2017, and discuss how the firm uses precision, geometry, light, and communal space to overcome the extreme constraints of developing housing on infill sites in dense London neighborhoods. They offer the following advice to students about to enter the profession in a politically and socially turbulent time: “Exercise your democratic rights, protest and make your voices heard, and keep being idealistic. Because in the next few years you'll be the people who are making the decisions, and it's really important that you don’t lose sight of the idealism you have as a student.” –vPPR