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.

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

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

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 69-year-old architect and founder of Jiakun Architecture is known for work that underscores the way people are intended to use a space. Not just the way they use the space, in fact, but who, and where,

Explore Liu Jiakun's architectural philosophy: a unique blend of tradition, sustainability, and social interaction in modern design.

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