While many architects expand career horizons globally, Chinese architect Liu Jiakun, who is also the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate, was engrossed in designing a mixed-use courtyard complex in his hometown of Chengdu,

The Chinese architect just won the highest honor in architecture for his thoughtful approach to density and public spaces. Across the city of Chengdu, China, the quiet but remarkable buildings of Liu Jiakun have slowly pierced through the dominant stereotype of bombastic Chinese architecture.

Liu, known for understated structures that respond to their surroundings, has been awarded the profession’s highest honor.