The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced in June that Professor Zhang Jie of Tsinghua’s School of Architecture won the 2024 RIBA International Awards for Excellence for his project Jingdezhen Pengjia Alley Compound.

Jingdezhen is regarded as the center of Chinese ceramic craftsmanship. Situated in the core protection area of the Imperial Kiln Site, the Pengjia Alley Compound stands as a model of the courtyard-style ceramic workshops that flourished for centuries. The award-winning comment for this heritage regeneration project reads, “The project is an outstanding example of excellence in practice in building preservation and reinvention.”

The RIBA International Awards for Excellence were established in 2016, recognizing projects worldwide that stretch the boundaries of architecture and standards of excellence. The winners then go on to be considered for the RIBA International Prize.

This year, RIBA announced there were 22 winning projects, two of them from China. From private homes and studios, to museums and schools, each project is an example of the highest caliber of architectural response to social, cultural, and environmental challenges.