Kengo Kuma
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Kengo Kuma awarded Andrée Putman Lifetime Achievement Award by CDA

Starr Charles

Architecture reporter

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has been named the recipient of the Andrée Putman Lifetime Achievement Award for 2027 by the Créateurs Design Association & Awards.

Kuma, who is founder of his eponymous studio Kengo Kuma & Associates, was chosen for his demonstration of “how architecture can restore the relationship between people and the natural world”.

The annual award was established by the Créateurs Design Association & Awards (CDA) to recognise careers that have had an enduring impact on the built environment, and is the award body’s highest honour.

It was launched by the CDA to commemorate the legacy of French designer Andrée Putman.

The wooden exterior of Japan National Stadium
Kuma has won the Andrée Putman Lifetime Achievement Award for 2027. Photo by Japan Sport Council

Winners of the annual award are determined by members of the CDA rather than through submissions, with Kuma recognised for his role in connecting people with nature, according to CDA co-founder Yuri Xavier.

“For more than three decades, Kengo Kuma has asked how architecture can restore the relationship between people and the natural world, and he has answered on every continent,” Xavier said.

“Our members chose to honour not a single building but the entirety of that pursuit, in the spirit of dialogue between tradition and modernity that Andrée Putman herself embodied.”

V&A Dundee
The award will be presented at the CDA ceremony in Paris. Photo by Ross Fraser McLean

Notable recent projects by the architect’s studio include the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo and the V&A Dundee in Scotland.

Kuma said he is “honoured” to receive recognition of his life’s work.

“In my design practice, I consider myself a long-distance runner,” he said. “I believe the most important thing is to keep running over the long term with a single goal in mind: achieving harmony between humans and nature.”

“More than anything, I am honoured that the Lifetime Achievement Award recognises the entirety of everything I do,” he continued.

The award will be presented at the CDA ceremony at the Shangri-La Paris on 16th January 2027. Awards across fifteen categories are also set to be announced at the event.

Previous recipients of the annual Andrée Putman Lifetime Achievement Award include Norman Foster, Tadao Ando, and Christian de Portzamparc.

The main image is courtesy of Designhouse.

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