Liu Jiakun Named 2025 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize

theA&Pnews
Mar 5
4 min read

Updated: Apr 11

Chinese architect Liu Jiakun has been awarded the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the highest honor in the field, in recognition of his innovative and humanistic approach to design. With a career spanning over four decades, Liu has redefined contemporary architecture in China by integrating cultural heritage, social responsibility, and artistic expression into his work.

A Unique Path to Architecture

Born in 1956 in Chengdu, People’s Republic of China, Liu Jiakun’s journey into architecture was unconventional. Raised in the corridors of Chengdu Second People’s Hospital—formerly Gospel Hospital, founded in 1892—where his mother was an internist, he developed an early appreciation for human-centered environments. Though nearly all his immediate family members pursued medicine, Liu gravitated toward creative arts, exploring literature and drawing. It was a teacher who introduced him to architecture, a discipline that would ultimately become his life’s work.

Graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Architecture in 1982, Liu belonged to the first generation of architects tasked with rebuilding China during a transformative period. Early in his career, he worked for the Chengdu Architectural Design and Research Institute and volunteered for a two-year tenure in Nagqu, Tibet (1984–1986)—the world’s highest-altitude region. During this time, he balanced his work as an architect with a deep passion for literature, writing extensively on themes of place, memory, and identity.

A Turning Point

Liu nearly abandoned architecture altogether, until a pivotal moment in 1993 when he attended a solo exhibition by his former classmate Tang Hua at the Shanghai Art Museum. The experience reignited his passion, prompting him to challenge conventional aesthetics and use architecture as a medium for personal expression. In the years that followed, he engaged in intellectual debates with artists, poets, and designers, refining his philosophy on architecture as a fusion of storytelling, cultural continuity, and social engagement.

Architectural Philosophy and Practice

Liu Jiakun founded Jiakun Architects in 1999 in Chengdu, aiming to create architecture that is both contemporary and deeply rooted in its local context. His approach—described as a blend of low-tech strategies and poetic narrative—emphasizes sustainability, cultural authenticity, and community needs.

“I always aspire to be like water—to permeate a place without imposing a fixed form, to absorb the essence of the site, and to solidify into architecture that retains the qualities of its surroundings,” Liu explains.

His notable works include over 30 projects, spanning academic institutions, civic spaces, cultural landmarks, and urban planning initiatives across China. In 2018, he was selected to design the inaugural Serpentine Pavilion Beijing, further solidifying his reputation on the global stage.

Literary Contributions

Beyond architecture, Liu is an accomplished writer, with works such as The Conception of Brightmoon (2014), which explores the tensions between utopias and real-life human experiences. His other publications include Narrative Discourse and Low-Tech Strategy (1997), Now and Here (2002), and I Built in West China? (2009), reflecting his deep engagement with both theory and practice.

Global Recognition and Awards

Liu Jiakun’s work has been showcased in major international exhibitions, including:

UIA World Congress of Architects (1999, Beijing)
TU MU Young Architecture From China (2001, Berlin)
Shanghai Biennale (2002, Shanghai)
La Biennale di Venezia (2008, 2016, 2015 – Art Exhibition)
Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (2005, 2009, 2017, Shenzhen)
Chengdu Biennale (2021, Chengdu)

His accolades include the Far Eastern Architectural Design Outstanding Award (2007, 2017), ASC Grand Architectural Creation Award (2009), WA Awards for Chinese Architecture (2016), Building with Nature – Architecture China Award (2020), and UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation (2021).

A Lasting Legacy

Currently a visiting professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, Liu has also lectured at prestigious institutions such as MIT, the Royal Academy of Arts, and Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine. His practice remains rooted in Chengdu, where he continues to design with a focus on public engagement and cultural continuity.

The 2025 Pritzker Prize jury commended Liu’s ability to “revisit Chinese tradition not through nostalgia but as a springboard for innovation.” They praised his work as simultaneously “a historical record, a piece of infrastructure, a landscape, and a remarkable public space.”

With this honor, Liu Jiakun joins the ranks of the world’s most celebrated architects, reaffirming the power of architecture as a vehicle for cultural expression, social progress, and human connection.

Architecture of Liu Jiakun

Luyeyuan Stone Sculpture Art Museum 2002 Chengdu, People's Republic of China
Department of Sculpture, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute 2004 Chongqing, People's Republic of China
Design Department on new campus, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute 2006 Chongqing, People's Republic of China
Museum of Clocks, Jianchuan Museum Cluster 2007 Chengdu, People's Republic of China
Hu Huishan Memorial 2009 Chengdu, People's Republic of China
Shuijingfang Museum 2013 Chengdu, People's Republic of China
Novartis (Shanghai) Block - C6 2014 Shanghai, People's Republic of China
West Village 2015 Chengdu, People's Republic of China
Suzhou Museum of Imperial Kiln Brick 2016 Suzhou, People's Republic of China
Songyang Culture Neighborhood 2020 Lishui, People's Republic of China
The Renovation of Tianbao Cave District of Erlang Town 2021 Luzhou, People's Republic of China