Liu Jiakun and his Pritzker Prize 2025 mark a shift towards human-centred sustainable design that blends history, culture and modern urban challenges.
Architecture is more than steel and concrete—it shapes the way we live, connect, and remember. Each year, the Pritzker Architecture Prize honors architects who challenge conventions and redefine the built environment. In 2025, the award goes to Liu Jiakun, a visionary whose work bridges history, humanity, and sustainability.
His win marks a shift toward architecture that prioritizes people over spectacle, proving that meaningful design isn’t about scale—it’s about impact.
Every year, the Pritzker Prize shines a spotlight on architects who redefine how we experience space. In 2025, that honor goes to Liu Jiakun, a visionary whose work transcends aesthetics to embrace human connection, cultural memory, and sustainability.
Following in the footsteps of Wang Shu, Zaha Hadid, Oscar Niemeyer and Diébédo Francis Kéré, Jiakun stands at the crossroads of innovation and tradition. But what makes his work worthy of the world’s most prestigious architectural prize?
Born in Chengdu, China, Liu Jiakun has spent decades crafting spaces that blend functionality with poetic storytelling. Unlike starchitects chasing monumental spectacle, Jiakun’s projects thrive in the everyday, weaving history, local materials, and public engagement into his designs.
Think West Village in Chengdu, a masterful urban development where communal life takes precedence, or the Imperial Kiln Museum in Suzhou, built from reclaimed bricks that whisper the past.
His philosophy? Architecture should serve, not dictate. With a career spanning over 40 years and 30+ completed projects, he embodies the idea that buildings should adapt to their environments, not the other way around.
His designs invite people to gather, reflect, and reclaim a sense of belonging—a timely response to an era of rapid urbanization.
The Pritzker Prize has celebrated radical creativity before. Zaha Hadid bent steel into fluid poetry. Oscar Niemeyer sculpted the skyline of Brasília with curves that defied gravity. Diébédo Francis Kéré revolutionized sustainable architecture with community-driven projects in Burkina Faso.
Jiakun, however, takes a different approach. If Hadid’s work is a symphony of form, his is a quiet haiku—elegant, unassuming, and deeply resonant. He aligns more with Wang Shu, the last Chinese laureate (2012), who also embraced regional materials and craftsmanship.
But where Wang Shu revives ancient techniques, Jiakun crafts solutions for the present, tackling post-disaster rebuilding, urban density, and sustainability with understated brilliance.
Winning the Pritzker Prize is more than an accolade—it’s a declaration of influence. Jiakun’s recognition signals a shift toward human-centered, environmentally conscious architecture. It’s a call to rethink the purpose of design, ensuring it fosters social connection rather than mere spectacle.
As cities expand and communities face displacement, will more architects follow Jiakun’s lead? Will sustainability and social impact take precedence over grandeur? If this award tells us anything, it’s that the world is ready for an architecture that listens.
Liu Jiakun’s Pritzker Prize 2025 win isn’t just a personal triumph—it’s a global statement. Architecture is evolving, placing human needs at its core. As the world faces unprecedented environmental and social challenges, Jiakun’s work reminds us that buildings should be more than landmarks—they should be lifelines.
His victory signals a new era, one where design listens, adapts, and serves.
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