The announcement of the 2025 Pritzker Prize has placed Chinese architect Liu Jiakunat the center of the global architectural conversation. His work is distinguished by a profound sensitivity to the environment, memory, and everyday life. Rather than dazzling with grand gestures, his architecture seeks to connect with the land, history, and people through a quiet yet powerful poetry.
Architecture Rooted in the Earth
Liu Jiakun’s work is a manifesto of material honesty and contextual respect. He employs vernacular materials such as bamboo, rammed earth, and local brick—not as aesthetic nostalgia, but as a conscious choice that reinforces sustainability, thermal efficiency, and harmony with the landscape. His buildings don’t impose themselves; they engage in dialogue with their surroundings.
Memory as an Architectural Element
Many of Liu Jiakun’s projects incorporate existing structures, reclaimed materials, or references to traditional regional building forms. This approach weaves a spatial narrative that connects past and present, evoking a sense of rootedness, continuity, and belonging. Walking through one of Jiakun’s buildings is an experience of the living history of a place.
Liu Jiakun: Simplicity as Poetic Expression
Liu Jiakun’s formal approach is based on the refinement of forms, structural clarity, and meticulous attention to detail. Far from oversimplifying, this apparent austerity enhances the expressive power of light, texture, and material. His architecture invites contemplation, silence, and a sensory connection with space.
Spaces Designed for People
A central value in his work is the human dimension. Whether designing museums, schools, homes, or public spaces, Jiakun’s projects aim to foster community, reflection, and well-being. Each building seeks to enrich the everyday experience of those who inhabit it.
A Necessary Voice in Global Architecture
In a world often dominated by visual spectacle and decontextualized technology, Liu Jiakun’s architecture stands as a reminder that beauty can also emerge from simplicity, memory, and respect for place. The 2025 Pritzker Prize honors not only a distinguished career but also a profoundly contemporary philosophy: to build with soul, for people, and in dialogue with the earth.
