Suzhou Bay Grand Theater / Christian de Portzamparc. Image © Feng Shao
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https://www.archdaily.com/1034200/christian-de-portzamparc-to-receive-the-2026-createurs-design-awards-lifetime-achievement-award
Christian de Portzamparc has been announced as the recipient of the 2026 Andrée Putman Lifetime Achievement Award by the Créateurs Design Awards (CDA). The recognition honors his influence on architecture and urban planning, situating him among a lineage of practitioners whose work has shaped both the built environment and cultural discourse. The ceremony will be held in Paris on January 17, 2026, where de Portzamparc will accept the award in person.
Portrait Christian de Portzamparc. Image Courtesy of Christian de Portzamparc
Born in 1944 in Casablanca, de Portzamparc studied architecture at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Eugène Beaudouin and George Candilis. Questioning the limitations of modernist ideals, he spent much of the 1970s reflecting on the social role of architecture, often working with sociologists to better understand neighborhoods and cities. His return to practice in 1979 brought a distinctive approach to urban design, exemplified in the Haute-Formes housing project in Paris. Rejecting tower block schemes, he developed an alternative model organized around squares, arcades, and smaller buildings, laying the groundwork for his concept of the “open block,” which reconsiders the urban fabric through a balance of public and private space.
Shangyin Opera House / Christian de Portzamparc. Image © Feng Shao
Shangyin Opera House / Christian de Portzamparc. Image © Feng Shao
De Portzamparc is known for a career that has explored the intersections of form, program, and urban design. He became the first French architect to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1994 and has been recognized with the Grand Prix National de l’Architecture (1993), the Grand Prix de l’Urbanisme (2004), and the Praemium Imperiale for Architecture (2018). Notable works include the Paris Opera’s Dance School (1987), Musée Bourdelle (1990), the Cité de la Musique (1994), the French Embassy in Berlin (2003), the Musée Hergé in Belgium (2009), and One57 in New York (2013), which was briefly the tallest residential tower in Manhattan. Internationally, his portfolio extends to the LVMH Tower in New York, the Suzhou Cultural Center in China, and the China National Convention Center in Beijing. His work is characterized by a spatial approach and a focus on civic life, consistently integrating architecture into its wider urban context.
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Cidade Das Artes / Christian de Portzamparc. Image © Nelson Kon
For an architect, achievement is the sum of buildings or neighbourhoods. Nothing is more beautiful than walking through what one has created and hearing the joy of those who inhabit or work within these spaces. – Christian de Portzamparc
The CDA Lifetime Achievement Award is selected through a peer-to-peer process, drawing on a global network of over 300 members across more than 55 countries. It acknowledges individuals or firms whose work has made a profound and enduring contribution to architecture and design. Previous recipients include Tadao Ando, Norman Foster, Iris Apfel, and Gaetano Pesce. This year’s award highlights de Portzamparc‘s ability to combine formal innovation with strategies that respond to community life and urban experience, underscoring his role in shaping a more human-centered approach to architecture and city-making.