German architect and architectural theorist Patrik Schumacher has been named the winner of the 2025 European Prize for Architecture. Schumacher, who leads Zaha Hadid Architecture following the death of its founder, was honored by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies for his independent and often controversial contributions to architectural discourse.

The award ceremony took place during The City and the World Athens Symposium, with Schumacher officially receiving Europe's highest architectural honor at a gala dinner near the Acropolis on September 20. This year's prize was shared with Palestinian architect Suad Amiry, making them co-laureates of the prestigious award.

"Unquestionably, Schumacher inherited one of the highest-profile jobs in global architecture, with real clout to see his ideas and theories put into practice," stated Christian Narkiewicz-Laine, architecture critic and museum president of The Chicago Athenaeum. The critic praised Schumacher as a visionary who has delivered groundbreaking post-Hadid buildings, including the Chengdu Science Fiction Museum in China (2023), Zhuhai Jinwan Civic Arts Centre in China (2023), and the Masaryčka Building in Prague, Czech Republic (2023).

Schumacher joined Zaha Hadid Architecture nearly 30 years ago and worked alongside Hadid on all major projects until her death in 2016. At the time of Hadid's passing, the practice had 36 projects under construction across 21 countries. "We vowed to complete" these projects, Schumacher recalled, with the first being the Salerno Maritime Museum in Italy, followed by the Port House in Antwerp, the King Abdullah Petroleum Research Center in Riyadh, and the Mathematics Gallery in London's Science Museum.

Reflecting on his partnership with Hadid, Schumacher described her as "very courageous, very driven in terms of wanting to excel." He noted her intensity combined with "incredible loyalty and warmth," adding that "there was no snobbery or pretentiousness. She was an easy communicator and a good friend who was always ready with advice." Schumacher emphasized that Hadid's success came from not insisting on using only her own ideas, but allowing younger staff to flourish and exercise their creativity competitively.

As one of the most prominent thought leaders in architecture, urbanism, and design, Schumacher is widely recognized as the creator of parametricism, a term he coined in 2008. This approach uses algorithms and computer programs to manipulate design variables, creating interconnected parameters that allow for late-stage adaptations and result in complex, organic, fluid forms mimicking nature. His research focuses on designing real and virtual environments to facilitate productive communicative interactions.

Schumacher launched his manifesto for parametricism at the 2008 Venice Biennale of Architecture, followed by publishing "Parametricism: A New Global Style for Architecture and Urban Design" in the Journal of Architectural Design in 2009. His theoretical masterwork, "The Autopoiesis of Architecture," was published in two volumes (2011-2012), offering a new framework and agenda for architecture. Since 2007, he has promoted parametricism as the epochal style for the 21st century.

Known as one of architecture's most outspoken figures, Schumacher has never shied away from controversy. His 2015 speech at the World Architecture Festival in Berlin expressed support for global neoliberalism, while a 2016 speech nearly caused a riot when he proposed abolishing regulation, eliminating social housing, privatizing public spaces including streets, and selling portions of London's Hyde Park to address the housing crisis. As a former Marxist turned advocate of anarcho-capitalism, he envisions full decentralization and privatization of architecture, planning, and development.

Schumacher has also been a vocal critic of the Venice Architecture Biennale, attacking the 2018 edition by stating that all 63 national pavilions "did not show any new architecture, but focused instead on one-liner installations." In 2023, he again criticized the event, calling it an "anti-architectural biennale" that should stop claiming the title of architecture. He has similarly criticized what he sees as the profession's decline due to "woke virtue signaling" and anti-capitalist politicization.

In a 2025 paper titled "The End of Architecture" published in the Khōrein Journal, Schumacher argued that "Architecture, as an autonomous, theory-led discipline, has ceased to exist." He claimed the discipline has "self-dissolved, eroding its intellectual and professional autonomy" and contracted back into a craft. Schumacher, who teaches at the Architectural Association in London, believes universities have stopped pushing architectural development forward, with design projects being replaced by "woke studies."

Under Schumacher's direction, ZHA has completed several landmark projects that showcase his parametric approach. The Opus Tower in Dubai (2019) features a unique glowing cube design with a central void and reflective glass façade that adapts to changing light conditions. The Morpheus Hotel in Macau (2018) boasts a seven-story atrium and the world's first exoskeletal structure, with its fluid form derived from traditional Chinese jade carvings. Beijing Daxing International Airport (2019) serves as an iconic starfish-shaped gateway with the world's largest single-building terminal, accommodating up to 72 million passengers annually.

Other notable projects include the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center in Riyadh (2017), featuring honeycomb structures that provide solar shading and energy efficiency, and the Napoli Afragola Train Station in Italy (2017), designed as an urban public bridge connecting communities while serving 15 million residents across multiple railway lines.

Born in Bonn, Germany in 1961, Schumacher studied philosophy and mathematics before transitioning to architecture. He completed his architecture studies at London Southbank University while working at Zaha Hadid Architecture on the Vitra Firestation project. After earning his architecture diploma from the University of Stuttgart in 1990, he rejoined Hadid's office and completed a PhD at Klagenfurt University in 1999. Since Hadid's death, he has led the firm as its sole remaining partner while maintaining their shared vision.

Schumacher's academic career includes teaching positions at Kingston University, Technische Universität Berlin, and co-founding the Design Research Laboratory at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. He has served as a guest professor at Harvard's Graduate School of Design and was appointed the first John Portman Chair in Architecture at Harvard University. His honors include the RIBA Stirling Prize (2010) and Gold Medal (2016), both shared with Zaha Hadid.

The European Prize for Architecture, awarded annually since its inception, recognizes architects who advance European humanism and architectural excellence. Previous laureates include Bjarke Ingels, Santiago Calatrava, Henning Larsen Architects, and Christoph Ingenhoven. The prize serves not as a lifetime achievement award but as an impetus to support new ideas and forward-thinking approaches to buildings and environments. As the 23rd laureate, Schumacher continues to push architectural boundaries while honoring Hadid's innovative legacy through ZHA's ongoing projects and research initiatives.