Liu Jiakun is one of China’s most renowned contemporary architects, and spoke at In Focus: Landscapes on December 7, 2024.

Through deep attention to social realities, local context, and vernacular craftsmanship, Liu’s Chengdu-based firm Jiakun Architects uses contemporary design to interpret traditional Chinese aesthetics and folk wisdom, bringing into focus the fine, interwoven texture of personal and collective memories. His multi-disciplinary projects are led by a deep commitment to serving people in need, many casting light on the reciprocal relation between Chinese people’s public life and urban cultural space. 

Anticipating completion in 2027, the firm’s landscape design for the Hangzhou Steelworks Park is transforming the disused industrial site into a cultural landmark, aiming to return the Zhejiang Province’s first steel plant to a source of regional pride.