Wang Shu (born 1963) is a Chinese architect based in Hangzhou who, with his wife and partner Lu Wenyu, founded Amateur Architecture Studio in 1997; the name rebukes the "professional, soulless architecture" they blame for the demolition of China's old neighbourhoods. Born in Ürümqi, he studied architecture at Southeast University in Nanjing and became dean of the School of Architecture of the China Academy of Art. In 2012 he became the first Chinese citizen to win the Pritzker Prize; the jury praised his "unique ability to evoke the past, without making direct references to history", and the award drew criticism for leaving out Lu Wenyu, who he said deserved to share it.
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His buildings use traditional materials and older techniques, often with bricks and tiles salvaged from demolished buildings. The Ningbo Museum of Art (2005) was built from 2001. The Vertical Courtyard Apartments in Hangzhou (2007) were nominated for the International Highrise Award. The Ningbo History Museum (2008) has a façade built entirely of recycled bricks and a form that recalls the nearby mountains; it received the Lu Ban Prize, China's top architecture prize, in 2009.
