Academician Qi Kang Wins “IDEA-TOPS Lifetime Achievement Award”

The International Space Design Award-IDEA-TOPS (IDEA-TOPS for short) is one of the most international and influential design awards. Launched in Shenzhen and based on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Award has successfully held 12 sessions and is highly respected by the global design community for its professionalism, internationality, and authority. IDEA-TOPS, leveraging the vast Chinese market, holds influence comparable to renowned design awards such as Germany’s Red Dot, International Forum (IF), and the US International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) on the global design stage, ranking as one of the four major international design awards.

The 13^th “IDEA-TOPS Lifetime Achievement Award” was conferred upon Academician Qi Kang, a master architect and an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Over the past twelve years, only one “Lifetime Achievement Award” has been granted by IDEA-TOPS and it was bestowed upon Mr. Wu Liangyong, a prominent architect and an Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Academician Qi Kang is the second recipient of this grand award in the history of IDEA-TOPS.

Academician Qi Kang has devoted himself to the scientific research, design, and teaching in the fields of architecture and urban planning. He serves as the academic leader of Architectural Design and Theory, one of the national key disciplines, at the School of Architecture of Southeast University. In 2000, he was honored with China’s first “Liang Sicheng Architecture Award”. Not only has he made remarkable contributions to the field of architecture, but his influence extends widely across the industry. His students can be found throughout the architectural industry and under his leadership, the research institute has nurtured two academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, two academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, a Pritzker Prize laureate, as well as numerous doctoral and master’s students.

Theories such as “Social Composition of Architectural Creation”, “Consciousness of Architecture”, “Cultural Characteristics of the City”, and “Urban Morphology”, proposed by Academician Qi have nourished a generation of young students in the field of architecture. In his perspective, architecture is a living entity, embodying the architect’s insights into life and understanding of life. Respecting history, he designs works based on respecting local conditions, seamlessly integrating elements of history and modernity and consistently showcasing profound Chinese characteristics and grandeur. Throughout his life, he has been dedicated to practicing these architectural ideals and principles.