Published : 08/03/2025
In 2025, Chinese architect Liu Jiakun (劉家琨) was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the highest honour in the world of architecture, becoming the second Chinese person to receive the award.
Among his numerous notable works, the one that has attracted the most attention and is most frequently discussed may well be the "unfinished building".
Liu Jiakun: Once lost interest in architecture
Liu Jiakun traces his ancestral roots to Hebei Province, yet he was born in Chengdu, Sichuan Province in 1956 and has lived there ever since, embodying the Chengdu natives' characteristic "leisurely and unhurried" pace.
His parents were renowned physicians, but he loved drawing from a young age and even formally studied it for a time. After graduating from secondary school, he was sent to the countryside, where he began writing. His first novel, on the theme of educated youth, was completed during this period.
Isn't Liu Jiakun an architect? How did he get into writing literature?
In 1977, China reinstated the National College Entrance Examination (高考). Liu Jiakun, who wanted to draw, was admitted to the architecture department of the Chongqing Institute of Architectural Engineering, only to discover upon enrolment that the drawing required for his course was a far cry from the fine art he loved.
Before long, Liu lost interest in architecture. Apart from coping with his coursework and exams, his mind was entirely on drawing and literary creation.
After graduating from university, Liu Jiakun was assigned to an architectural design institute and successively worked on two projects in Xizang (previously known as "Tibet") and Xinjiang, but what he was more focused on was always literature.
An exhibition became a turning point
In fact, Liu Jiakun, passionate about his creative work, had already made a small name for himself in the Sichuan literary scene by then, becoming a signed writer for the Ba Jin College of Literature.
His novel, Highland (《高地》), was also included in the local literary magazine Sichuan Literature. Gradually, he almost completely left architecture and became a full-time writer.
So how did Liu turn back to being an "architect"?
In 1993, a friend from his architecture school days held a solo exhibition in Shanghai, which Liu attended. His invitation, however, did not come from a professional capacity, but simply as a "friend".
It was at the exhibition that Liu Jiakun was greatly shaken, suddenly realising that "the built environment can be a medium for personal expression", which reignited his passion for architecture. He changed overnight and became an architect once more.
Because of this prior "departure", Liu Jiakun says, "I am an architect who came home halfway!"
Liu Jiakun's "low-tech strategy"
Afterwards, Liu Jiakun designed studios for several artists and his fame soared. Not pursuing extravagance and complexity, adapting to local conditions, using local materials, and employing a "low-tech strategy" to create high artistic quality, is his "down-to-earth" style.
Liu Jiakun's works are not limited to artists' studios.
He has also participated in many projects for cultural institutions and public spaces, such as the Luyeyuan Stone Sculpture Museum, the Sculpture Department Building of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, and The Grand Canal Hangzhou Steelworks Park.
In the disaster area of the Wenchuan earthquake, Liu Jiakun also created a "Memorial for a Single Person" for Hu Huishan, a 16-year-old student who perished. He hoped that a society that focuses too much on group relations would learn to pay attention to the individual.
Among Liu Jiakun's many signature works, the one that receives the most attention and is most frequently discussed is probably West Village Courtyard (西村大院).
Liu Jiakun: West Village Courtyard is "a great big Chengdu hotpot"
Opened in 2015, West Village Courtyard is the main part of an arts and creative industries park in Chengdu's Qingyang District, covering an area of 42,000 square metres.
It is enclosed on three sides by five-storey buildings and on one side by a giant, three-dimensional running track, while the central courtyard contains sports facilities and integrated landscaping. Liu Jiakun called it "a small Sichuan Basin and a great big Chengdu hotpot".
Another special feature of West Village Courtyard is its exterior walls, which renounce any embellishment and expose the hollow bricks, as if only a "skeleton" has been built for the businesses moving in. In Liu's words, "It is like building a bookshelf, and each book has its own expression".
Because of its unique architectural style, West Village Courtyard was once called an "unfinished building" by the people of Chengdu, and Liu Jiakun has also heard young people on the phone arranging to meet, saying "I'm right here at this unfinished building!"
Of course, people quickly fell in love with this special place: hotpots under the bamboo, the rooftop running track, a prime spot for plaza dancing, creative markets... Men and women, young and old, can all find fun here.
Now, West Village Courtyard is definitely a new landmark and a popular photo spot in Chengdu.
Most satisfying work? Liu Jiakun: "Always the next one"
Is West Village Courtyard Liu Jiakun's most satisfying work? He has previously said, "The most satisfying is always the next one."
In March 2025, it was announced that Liu Jiakun had won that year's Pritzker Prize. The award is the highest honour in the field of architecture, known as the "Nobel Prize of Architecture", and thereby Liu Jiakun became the second Chinese person after Wang Shu (王澍), to win the award.
In addition, the Chinese-American I. M. Pei has also won the Pritzker Prize.
The jury noted that Liu Jiakun's work, distinguished by its profound coherence and consistent quality, transcends aesthetic or stylistic constraints to envision and construct a new world.
The jury further noted that while cities tend to plan different functional zones separately, Liu Jiakun has taken the opposite approach by integrating all aspects of urban life while maintaining a subtle balance.
Read more: Maverick architect Wang Shu: Constructing China with a rebellious vision