Chinese Architect Wins 2025 Pritzker Prize
By Effy Cao
Portrait of LIU JIAKUN. Courtesy the Hyatt Foundation and the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
On March 4, Chengdu-based architect Liu Jiakun was named the 54th Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate, in recognition of his masterful integration of traditional Chinese elements with contemporary design. Liu is the second Chinese architect to receive this prestigious honor, following Wang Shu’s selection in 2012.
Established in 1979 by the Pritzker family of Chicago, the Pritzker Architecture Prize is widely regarded as the “Nobel Prize of Architecture” and awarded annually to living architects who have made outstanding contributions to humanity and the built environment. Along with a USD 100,000 grant, Liu will be presented with a bronze medallion during the official award ceremony, which will take place in the coming months at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Additionally, he will hold a laureate lecture and symposium in May.
Born in 1956 in Chengdu, southwestern China, Liu graduated in 1982 with a degree in architecture from Chongqing University (formerly the Chongqing Institute of Architecture and Engineering). In 1999, he founded the Jiakun Architects firm, which focuses on socially impactful designs and expressions that balance history and modernity.
Liu’s architectural projects in China range from academic and cultural institutions to municipal spaces, commercial buildings, and urban planning initiatives. In 2018, he was invited to design the inaugural Serpentine Pavilion Beijing, which further solidified his international reputation. Among his most significant works are the Museum of Clocks in Chengdu (2007); the Design Department at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing (2006); the Tianfu Software Park Communication Center in Chengdu (2010); the Lodging Center for China International Practice Exhibition of Architecture in Nanjing (2012); and the Songyang Culture Neighborhood in Lishui (2020).
In a press release, the Pritzker Prize jury praised Liu for “re-examining Chinese traditions not in a nostalgic or ambiguous manner, but as a springboard for innovation.”
Effy Cao is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.
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