Liu Jiakun, 2025 Laureate of the Pritzker Prize will present his most pivotal works through the personal lens of his life’s journey and architectural ethos, revering materials and nature, processes and people. “In my life, architecture is not necessarily a tool for fame or fortune, but is the guidance for me to touch the spiritual height and the depth of my soul,” explains Jiakun. “It resembles my love for literature. They both require lifelong devotion, but the unexpected gains are the motives and inspirations for progress. In parallel universes or cycles of time, wherever I am, I’m myself and resolute. If the stage is not bright enough, I refine myself to shine; if I can’t reach the edge of the sky or sea, I dig deep.”

 

West Village, photo courtesy of Qian Shen Photography

The 2025 Jury Citation states, in part, “In a global context where architecture is struggling to find adequate responses to fast evolving social and environmental challenges, Liu Jiakun has provided convincing answers that also celebrate the everyday lives of people as well as their communal and spiritual identities…Through transformative projects like the West Village in Chengdu, he reshapes the paradigm of public spaces and of community life. He invents new independent, shared ways of living together in which density does not represent the opposite of an open system.”

	West Village, photo courtesy of Arch-Exist

Following the lecture, Liu discussed by recent Laureates, Riken Yamamoto (2024), Sir David Chipperfield (2023) and Francis Kéré (2022) for an intimate discussion on the successes and challenges of their careers, which center around user-centered works that prioritize the justice and integrity of community.

“Liu Jiakun is rooted in one of the most historically significant cities in the world, and at the same time, an architect deeply committed to everyday communities. His architecture integrates local tradition into the world, forging connections and fostering harmony that gives his work a strong presence and pertinence,” shares Yamamoto.

West Village, photo courtesy of Chen Chen

Liu Jiakun is the 54th Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, and resides in Chengdu, People’s Republic of China.

Release: The Pritzker Architecture Prize