Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has been selected to receive the Andrée Putman Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2027 Créateurs Design Awards (CDA). The award, one of two Legacy Awards presented by the organization, recognizes a career that has influenced architecture and the built environment across generations and geographic contexts. Kuma will receive the honor during the CDA Awards Ceremony, which will take place at the Shangri-La Paris on January 16, 2027.
Born in Yokohama in 1954, Kuma founded Kengo Kuma & Associates in Tokyo in 1990 and opened a Paris office in 2008. Across more than three decades of practice, his work has explored the relationship between architecture and nature, often drawing on Japanese architectural traditions and reinterpreting them through contemporary materials, construction methods, and spatial approaches.
Among Kuma's projects are the V&A Dundee in Scotland, the FRAC Marseille, and the Cité des Arts et de la Culture in Besançon. His practice was also involved in the design of the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, built for the 2020 Summer Olympics, and the Saint-Denis Pleyel station in Paris, which was completed in 2024. His work has extended across cultural, civic, transportation, and institutional projects in Japan and internationally.
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Alongside his architectural practice, Kuma has maintained an academic and research-oriented career. He has been a professor at the University of Tokyo since 2009 and has previously taught at Keio University, Columbia University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His work has also been accompanied by a number of international recognitions, including the Wood Design Award and Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2016, the Japan Art Academy Prize and Imperial Prize in 2024, and the Prix Versailles for Best Museum and the 38th Louis I. Kahn Award in 2025.
In my design practice, I consider myself a long-distance runner. 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. Writing is also a vital part of this journey; the ideas that come to me while running often take the form of essays and books. – Kengo Kuma
The Lifetime Achievement Award is named after French designer Andrée Putman and is selected by members of the Créateurs Design Association rather than through an open submission process. Previous recipients include Norman Foster, Tadao Ando, and Christian de Portzamparc. According to Yuri Xavier, Co-Founder of the Créateurs Design Awards, the decision recognizes Kuma's continued exploration of the relationship between tradition and contemporary architecture. The announcement of Kuma as the 2027 recipient coincides with the opening of submissions for the 2027 Créateurs Design Awards. Entries will be accepted from September 1 through October 31, 2026, across 15 categories covering architecture, interior design, product design, and art and culture.
