The prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize was awarded to Liu Jiakun, a visionary architect from Chengdu, China, whose work redefines how architecture serves ordinary people. Among Jiakun's notable works are the West Village in Chengdu, a five-story urban center combining culture and commerce, and the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing.
Sixty-nine-year-old architect and founder of Jiakun Architects "promotes the transcendent power of the built environment by harmonizing cultural, historical, emotional and social dimensions, using architecture to create community, inspire compassion and uplift the human spirit," said the organisers of the Pritzker Prize in a statement.
After Wang Shu in 2012, he is only the second Chinese citizen to win the award, a remarkable achievement given that private architectural practice was banned in China until the 1990s.
Liu, who works in the southwestern Chinese region of Sichuan, said the purpose of his architecture "is to create a beautiful, just and dignified living environment" and that it tries to balance commercial needs with the human needs of the public.
The organisers recalled its West Village in Chengdu, a five-storey project built in 2015 that spans one block. It includes perimeter paths for cyclists and pedestrians around "its own vibrant city of cultural, sporting, recreational, office and commercial activities within, while allowing the public a view of the surrounding natural and built environment."
They also noted the sculpture department of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing, which they said shows an alternative solution to maximizing space, "with the upper levels jutting out to expand the area of the narrow floor plan." In a recent interview in his Chengdu office, Liu said he is not one of those architects who likes a strongly recognizable visual style. Rather, he said he pays more attention to method and strategy.
"Many architects use a strong personal style and form to make their mark on the world," Liu told the AP in Mandarin. "Wherever it is, people immediately know that it is his or her work with very strong symbolism. But I'm not that kind of architect."
"I don't want to have a very clear or obvious style that you can tell is mine just by looking at it," He added. "I take a more methodological and strategic approach. I hope that when I come to a particular place, I can adapt my methodology and strategy to the local conditions. I like to fully understand the place and then look for resources, problems... and then distill and refine and finally turn (that) into my work."
His other projects include the mysterious Clock Museum in Chengdu, where a large circular courtyard evokes the timeless elegance of a sundial, and the striking Brick Museum in Suzhou. More recently, he has breathed new life into a historic temple district in Lishui and transformed a dramatic cave complex on a cliff in Luzhou.
Liu also said he is trying to balance his country's artistic and architectural heritage with the realities of modern technology. "I think traditional Chinese architecture is of course great and very classical, but it's a product of its time," He said.
He said he hoped to gain a deep understanding "a thematic part of the tradition that can survive", and then express it in contemporary technology and language. In this way, he said, "tradition may be used as the core ... but the presentation of your work is contemporary".
Asked if he thought the honors would affect his life, Liu replied: "I've been thinking about it. But I want to keep things normal ... I don't want to be nervous about everything. Of course, it has its advantages. I'm sure I won't have to promote myself too much. But will it also make me better at work? Not necessarily. Too much expectation can become pressure."
euronews/ gnews.cz - RoZ
PHOTO - X PritzkerPrize
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