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The Classical Architects Who Build Social Housing

Daniel Hautzinger
A section of the northern French mining town of Courrières redesigned by the Breitmans
A section of the northern French mining town of Courrières redesigned by the Breitmans to make it more accessible and livable

Architects Marc and Nada Breitman: The Talk of the Town is available to stream. See the broadcast schedule here.

"You cannot show with the architecture that you are poor and you cannot show that you are rich." That is what architects Marc and Nada Breitman, winners of this year's Richard H. Driehaus Prize at the University of Notre Dame and the subject of the Geoffrey Baer documentary Architects Marc and Nada Breitman: The Talk of the Town, believe and enact in their work. The Breitmans have rehabilitated economically depressed former coal mining towns in northern France, transformed unpleasant suburbs into enviable neighborhoods, and built town centers to provide a gathering place within a walkable city. And they always design with an eye to diversity, mixing business and recreation, restaurants and lodging, social and private housing – without distinguishing between the two. "This is the only way to make more harmony between people, if you have equality of housing," Nada says.

On our Talk of the Town website, explore the Breitmans' socially-minded projects through photos; learn more about their unique egalitarian approach to social housing; go behind-the-scenes of the filming in image-rich travel diaries by Geoffrey Baer and producer Daniel Andries; watch the documentary and web-exclusive videos; and discover how the Breitmans' lives and careers have unfolded.

Architects Marc and Nada Breitman with Geoffrey Baer. Photo: Frédéric AchdouArchitects Marc and Nada Breitman with 'Talk of the Town' host Geoffrey Baer. Photo: Frédéric Achdou