Lifetime Achievement Award Goes to Christian de Portzamparc
Christian de Portzamparc is the recipient of the 2026 Créateurs Design Awards (CDA) Andrée Putman Lifetime Achievement Award, a recognition of his enduring impact on architecture and urban design. The ceremony is set for January 17th, 2026, in Paris, where de Portzamparc will accept the award in person.
De Portzamparc’s career spans more than four decades, with projects ranging from cultural landmarks such as the Cité de la Musique in Paris and the Philharmonie Luxembourg to international commissions including the LVMH Tower in New York, the Suzhou Cultural Center in China, and Beijing’s China National Convention Center. Across these works, he has pursued what he describes as the ‘open block,’ a way of shaping cities that combines public and private spaces, while making sure everyday community life stays at the center. ‘I receive the CDA’s Lifetime Achievement Award as the highest honor, for there is nothing more sublime than the notion of true achievement,‘ Christian de Portzamparc shares. ‘All projects are driven by the same passion: beauty is inseparable from utility. Let us be careful not to remove the beautiful.’
Christian de Portzamparc portrait | courtesy of the architect
Honoring Design that Shapes Communities and Culture
In accepting the CDA award, the French architect and urbanist reflects on the idea of achievement as cumulative, noting that ‘for an architect, achievement is the sum of buildings or neighborhoods.’ Nothing is more beautiful than walking through what one has created and hearing the joy of those who inhabit or work within these spaces.’
The CDA Lifetime Achievement Award is determined through a peer-to-peer selection process, drawing on a global membership of over 300 creatives across 55 countries. It recognizes individuals whose work has made a lasting and influential contribution to design, architecture, and urbanism. Past recipients include Tadao Ando, Sir Norman Foster, Iris Apfel, and Gaetano Pesce, situating de Portzamparc among a lineage of architects and designers whose work has shaped both built environments and cultural discourse.
The 2026 announcement celebrates de Portzamparc’s talent for combining bold design with real benefits for communities. From reimagining city neighborhoods to building cultural landmarks, his work shows a dedication to making spaces that are practical yet inspiring. ‘His work from civic landmarks to thoughtful urban strategy has given form to a more humane, poetic urbanism,’ comments CDA founder Yuri Xavier, underlining the architect’s influence on the way cities are imagined and experienced.
Suzhou Bay Cultural Center | images by Shao Feng
Dior flagship boutique in Geneva | images © LVMH
One57 Tower | image © Wade Zimmerman
Cidade das Artes in Rio | image by Andre Vieira
Hergé museum, Belgium | image courtesy of the architect
Philharmonie Luxembourg | image courtesy of the architect
project info:
architect: Christian de Portzamparc | @christian2portzamparc
award: Andrée Putman Lifetime Achievement Award 2026
presented by: The Créateurs Design Awards
ceremony location: Paris, France
ceremony date: January 17th, 2026
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