‘‘Architecture and the city for Mrs. Cabasson is
not merely a stylistic backdrop that surrounds us but a real knowledge and spiritual force
that enhances life.’’
- Dr. Demetri Porphyrios, Principal, Porphyrios Associates, Driehaus Prize laureate
VANESSA CABASSON
Vanessa Cabasson has over 18 years of international experience in traditional and classical architecture, urban design, and interior design.
As a qualified architect she is registered with the Ordre des Architectes in France.
Her range of work includes private residences, winery estates, residential developments, hotels and resorts, academic and cultural institutions, commercial buildings, as well as urban masterplans, heritage restorations, and luxury interiors in France and abroad.
‘‘Hers is a commitment
to an architecture of
time-honored principles rather than fleeting
self-expression.
Architecture and the city for Mrs. Cabasson
is not merely a stylistic backdrop that surrounds us but a real knowledge and spiritual force that enhances life.’’
- Dr. Demetri Porphyrios, Principal, Porphyrios Associates
& Driehaus Prize laureate
‘‘Mrs. Cabasson is a remarkable, civic-minded person of impeccable integrity who believes that in architecture it is the whole human settlement that counts, that architecture must be appropriate to different historical, cultural, geographical contexts and refer to the building traditions within them.’’
- Carie Penabad, Associate Dean and Director
of the Bachelor of Architecture Program, University of Miami
After receiving her Bachelor of Architecture degree with Honors from the University of Miami, Florida in 2006 where she completed intensive international study programs in traditional architecture and urban design in Italy, Japan, China, and England, Vanessa moved to London to work with Dr. Demetri Porphyrios, internationally renown architect and theorist.
At Porphyrios Associates she enjoyed a very successful and productive working experience with a large variety of internationally recognized projects in India, Morocco, Greece, Cyprus, England, the Caribbean, and the United States. This experience proved to be extremely fulfilling and set the direction for her future work and interest in architecture and urban design.
In 2011 Vanessa moved to Paris where she was responsible for heritage restorations and new mixed-use projects throughout France with Driehaus Prize laureates architects Nada and Marc Breitman. Vanessa also led and managed high-profile luxury interiors in Paris, Moscow, Doha, and Sorrento, working closely with world-renown artisans and craftspeople in the classical tradition.
Over the years Vanessa has led and managed numerous internationally known projects such as Ann’s Court at Selwyn College in Cambridge, the Village at Alys Beach in Florida, the award-winning Highbury Gardens affordable housing in London, as well as luxury hotel and resort projects in Marrakech, Jaipur, Corfu, and the Middle East.
Vanessa has extensive experience designing for complex sites that require sensitive negotiations with local and regional authorities, undertaking community consultations, and leading consultancy teams, as well as successfully assisting clients to gain permission to build in sensitive historic locations.
Vanessa has been a visiting architectural critic at the University of Notre Dame and her work has been exhibited in several exhibitions including Miami Art Basel. Her architectural design and research has been published in Monterrey: Redefining the Urban Center and her design work contributions have been published in Porphyrios Associates: The Allure of the Classical and Trelles Cabarrocas Architects.
‘‘It is not often
that we meet young architects like
Mrs. Cabasson that have such a strong knowledge
of the history of
classical architecture,
that have extensively traveled with intensive study abroad programs, and create such
finely-detailed drawings.’
- Nada Breitman, French Heritage Architect
& Driehaus Prize Laureate
‘‘Mrs. Cabasson demonstrates a commitment to understanding
different cultures, histories, theories,
ideas, languages,
means, and methods
in order to practice architecture as an action to improve the quality of people’s lives.’’
- Carie Penabad, Associate Dean and Director
of the Bachelor of Architecture Program, University of Miami
All have contributed to a deep understanding of
the uniqueness of different localities and
a sensitivity for what creates a sense of place and belonging.
An intense traveler, Vanessa Cabasson has studied with immense interest different cultures, architectural typologies, local construction methods, and craft traditions:
from the havelis of Jaipur to the riads of Marrakech,
from the courtyard villas of Greece to the mas and bastides of Provence,
from the palazzos of the Veneto to the collegiate courts of Cambridge,
from the hôtel particuliers of Paris to the gardens of Kyoto,
from the yellow London stock brick to the Moroccan tadelakt,
from the timber construction in Key West to the stone masonry of the south of France.