Álvaro Joaquim de Melo Siza Vieira, pron. IPA,

(born 25 June 1933 in Matosinhos), is a contemporary Portuguese architect. His poetic modernism draws on context to illuminate universal conditions. Along with Fernando Távora, he's one of the references of the ""Escola do Porto" (Porto School of Architecture), where both were teachers. Both their works are inspired on the site and try to achieve what was missing there - there is allways a very strict conexion between the built and the nature, the new and the old, the sensorial and the racional.


Berlin, Schlesische Straße, Building "Bonjour Tristesse", by Álvaro Siza VieiraIn 1992, he was awarded the Pritzker Prize and in 2001 he was the recipient of the Wolf Prize in Arts. Other prizes, among others, include: The Golden Medal of The Superior Counsil of Arquitecture of the College of Architects of Madrid (Spain-1988), The Prince of Wales prize of the Harvard University (USA-1998); Portugal's National prize of Architecture (1993) and the Urbanism Special Grand Prize of France (2005).

Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art
Rua D.João de Castro 210
Porto
Portugal

Portugal pavillion for expo 98 lisbon

In "Álvaro Siza Transforming Reality", Portugal's renowned architect discusses his work and tours approximately 15 projects with architectural historian Kenneth Frampton, who has referred to Siza as "one of the most important architects working today".

Alvaro Siza
Vitrashop Factory Hall (1993)

Borges & Irmao Bank
Vila do Conde, Portugal
Photo by Tereza Siza

Boa Nova Tea House
Leca, de Palmeira, Portugal
Photo by Tereza Siza

Kindergarten "Joao de Deus"
Penafiel, Portugal
Photo by Tereza Siza

Kindergarten "Joao de Deus"
Penafiel, Portugal
Photo by Tereza Siza-2

Quinta da Malagueria Housing
Evora, Portugal
Photo by Carlos Castanheira

Sketch

Leça Swimming Pools
Avenida da Liberdade
Leça da Palmeira
Portugal

Alvaro Siza 1966

Faculty of Architecture
Via Panorámica
Porto
Portugal

Alvaro Siza 1995

Architectural Office
Rua do Aleixo 53, 2º
Porto
Portugal

The office of Alvaro Siza is located in a five-story building overlooking the Douro River in Porto, between the historical center and the Atlantic ocean. In the 19th century this was a small fishing village on the outskirts of the city, and in many ways the place still retains its character, with boats moored in the harbor, fish being sold on the streets, and a ferry crossing the river every few minutes to the neighboring village of Afurada.

Rectorate of the University of Alicante - 1999

Ibere Camargo Foundation - 1998

Villa Colonnese - 1998

Renovation and Extension to Stedelijk Museum - 1997

Pier in Thessalonika - 1996

van Middelem-Dupont house
Maison van Middelem-Dupont 1994

Setubal Training Center - 1986

Bouça Residential Complex - 1973

Archinform (http://www.archinform.net/arch/698.htm?ID=f790f8cd2ac30680ea6b58cfe3c95caf)

Arcspace Sketches (http://www.arcspace.com/studio/siza/inex.htm)

Galinsky (http://www.galinsky.com/architects/siza/)

Arcspace Sculptures (http://www.arcspace.com/studio/siza/sculptures/)

Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/3822830119/104-8748550-5615139?v=glance&n=283155)


Great Buildings Online (http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Alvaro_Siza.html)

Home Page (http://www.alvarosiza.com/)

Pritzker Prize (http://www.pritzkerprize.com/siza.htm)

Siza is having a small exhibition in Tokyo.
Along with his drawings and models, Siza designed an installation in the gallery courtyard himself.
Since there is no Siza building in Japan, this was for me the first "Siza" experience spatially.
There is nothing spectacular about the installation, just few pieces of various materials carefully placed, some constructed to... um, something.

close up

Sculpture with the city

I think this exhibition shows the sense of Siza for architecture, the site, composition and direct for its materials.
Architecture and art is something with thought, meaning, Siza is a thinking architect, so: what does he mean?
////
My point of view:
It is a subtle composition of parts of materials.
In #26 something like a skyscarpper and a bridge leading to it, there`s lying in contrast, but nearer surrounding a block on a landscape- could mean just a solitaire in the landscape- perhaps: tradition vs.contemporary time.
city vs.- country and urban density vs. space in the country.

It looks to me like an in-between of land art, architectural composition and compared with (-here`s the site in general): traditional Japanese garden architecture elements: like the stone, the green, the composition...

the ancient Greek/Roman and so European column is something like an instrument of dialogue.

It is like in traditional Japanese garden architecture: each piece has a sense and a meaning.

Ibere Camargo Foundation - 1998
The Iberê Camargo Foundation new building is currently under construction.
It is located in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Information about the building on the Foundation's website - LINK (http://www.iberecamargo.org.br/english/content/novasede/perfil.asp)
There are (too many) photos of the construction too, but only in the portuguese version - LINK (http://www.iberecamargo.org.br/content/museu/construcao.asp)

Photo by Fábio Del Re

"Modernist Master’s Deceptively Simple World"
An article about Álvaro Siza on the New York Times, By Nicolai Ouroussoff
Published: August 5, 2007

LINK (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/arts/design/05ouro.html?_r=4&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin)

Álvaro Siza has been awarded the 2009 RIBA Royal Gold Medal.
More info here (http://www.architecture.com/Awards/RoyalGoldMedal/RoyalGoldMedal2009/RoyalGoldMedal2009.aspx)