Liu Jiakun is the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize

The Pritzker Architecture Prize announces Liu Jiakun, founder of Jiakun Architects based in Chengdu, China, as the 2025 Laureate of architecture’s most distinguished honor.

With a design philosophy rooted in human experience and cultural continuity, Liu’s work transcends mere form and function. “Architecture must reveal something—it should distill and amplify the essence of local life,” he explains. “It has the power to shape behavior, evoke compassion, and cultivate a shared sense of belonging.”

Museum of Clocks, Jianchuan Museum Cluster, photo courtesy of Bi Kejian

Liu’s architecture seamlessly intertwines contrasts—utopia and daily life, history and modernity, collectivism and individuality—crafting spaces that resonate with the rhythms of everyday existence. His projects emphasize the social and emotional dimensions of design, forging connections between people and place, while offering a poetic yet pragmatic vision of the built environment.

“Through a body of work marked by coherence and depth, Liu Jiakun envisions new worlds unrestricted by aesthetic or stylistic boundaries,” states the 2025 Jury Citation. “Rather than relying on a signature style, he responds to the specific conditions of each project, often reshaping contemporary realities into new possibilities for daily life.”

Department of Sculpture, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, photo courtesy of Arch-Exist

In rapidly densifying cities, Liu innovates spatial solutions that challenge conventional urban planning. His West Village project in Chengdu (2015) redefines the relationship between density and openness, enveloping a dynamic mix of cultural, commercial, and recreational spaces within a pedestrian-friendly network of sloping pathways. At Sichuan Fine Arts Institute’s Department of Sculpture in Chongqing (2004), Liu maximizes space by cantilevering upper levels outward, an architectural gesture that transforms constraint into opportunity.

Hu Huishan Memorial, photo courtesy of Iwan Baan

“Liu Jiakun embraces integration over segregation,” remarks Alejandro Aravena, Chair of the Jury and 2016 Pritzker Prize Laureate. “At a time when cities expand in monotonous peripheries, his approach offers a powerful alternative—blurring the lines between building, infrastructure, and public space.”

Deeply attuned to history, nature, and materiality, Liu’s work reinterprets classical Chinese architecture for the contemporary era. The Suzhou Museum of Imperial Kiln Brick (2016) echoes the understated elegance of traditional eaves, while the tiered balconies of Novartis Block-C6 (Shanghai, 2014) pay homage to the verticality of ancient Chinese towers. Meanwhile, the Luyeyuan Stone Sculpture Art Museum (Chengdu, 2002) mirrors the principles of a classical garden, balancing water, stone, and vegetation in a harmonious interplay of natural elements.

The Renovation of Tianbao Cave District of Erlang Town, photo courtesy of Arch-Exist

His reverence for craftsmanship extends to his use of raw, local materials, favoring durability over perfection. Liu repurposes debris from the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, transforming it into “Rebirth Bricks” that strengthen both structure and community resilience. These bricks are integrated into major works like the Novartis building, Shuijingfang Museum (2013), and West Village. His smallest yet deeply evocative project, the Hu Huishan Memorial (2009), stands as a cement relief tent—a permanent tribute to a young victim of the disaster and a nation in mourning.

“Liu Jiakun’s architecture is imbued with wisdom,” notes Tom Pritzker, Chairman of The Hyatt Foundation. “His work reveals the symbiotic relationships between history, materials, and the natural world, fostering emotional connections that unite communities.”

West Village, photo courtesy of Qian Shen Photography

With a career spanning four decades and over thirty built works, Liu’s influence extends across academic, cultural, and civic spaces throughout China. His key projects include the Museum of Clocks, Jianchuan Museum Cluster (2007), Songyang Culture Neighborhood (2020), and the Lodging Center of China International Practice Exhibition of Architecture (2012).

As the 54th Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, Liu Jiakun will be honored at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi this spring, with a virtual celebration to follow in the fall. The 2025 Laureate Lecture and Panel Discussion, open to the public, will take place in May, offering a global audience the opportunity to engage with the ideas and vision of one of architecture’s most compelling contemporary voices.

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Cover image: Liu Jiakun, photo courtesy of The Hyatt Foundation/The Pritzker Architecture Prize