Christian de Portzamparc

In 1994, Christian de Portzamparc became the first French architect to gain the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize at the age of 50. He has been made "Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres", "Officier de l’Ordre du Mérite" and "Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur", and was awarded the "Grand Prix d’Architecture de la Ville de Paris" in 1990, the "Médaille d’Argent" in 1992 and the "Grand Prix National d’Architecture" in 1998. He has also been appointed an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A.). The most prestigious city planning prize in France, "Grand Prix de l’Urbanisme", was awarded to him in 2004. In 2006, the "Collège de France" created a 53rd chair dedicated to "artistic creation", Christian de Portzamparc was its first holder. In 2018, he is among the five laureates awarded the Praemium Imperiale for his contribution to architecture. Currently, he is engaged in large scale projects in China "Suzhou Cultural Center" and in Marocco "CasArts Theatre" scheduled to be completed in 2019.