Speaking to CNN ahead of Tuesday’s announcement, the founder of one of China’s first private architecture firms reflects on a career designing unpretentious buildings in an era of excess.

Pritzker Architecture Prize has been awarded to Liu Jiakun of China, who earned the field’s highest honor for “affirming architecture that celebrates the lives of ordinary citizens.”

The Chinese architect was recognized by the jury for his ability to draw on every site’s unique heritage and challenges.

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

You have to provide poetry’ as well as function, says Chengdu-based Liu. Awards jury hails Liu’s designs that ‘elevate the human spirit’.

Liu Jiakun has a reputation for ‘forging a positive relationship between density and open space’ in designs of public areas.

Today, the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize was awarded to Chinese architect Liu Jiakun, a Chengdu-based talent whose human-centered designs aim to elevate everyday life. The 69-year-old architect and founder of Jiakun Architects has created over 30 projects,

It includes a perimeter of paths for cyclists and pedestrians around "its own vibrant city of cultural, athletic, recreational, office, and commercial activities inside, while allowing the public to see through the surrounding natural and built environments.

Pritzker Architecture Prize has been awarded to Liu Jiakun of China, who earned the field's highest honor for "affirming architecture that celebrates the lives of ordinary citizens," organizers announced Tuesday.