1973 és 1977 között, Álvaro Siza tervezett három lakhatási projektek együttesen meghatározó időszak elején az építész munkáját. Két, Bouça és São Victor volt alacsony költségű projektek, amelyek a szervezet Saal Porto, a munkavállaló, hogy a tanács alakult, hogy a súlyos lakhatási feltételek létezett Portugália után az 1974-es forradalom.

Mindkét projektet építeni nehéz belvárosi területek központjában Porto a megfelelő lakhatás és megakadályozzák az elmozdulás az alacsony jövedelmű állampolgárok számára.

Malagueira, a harmadik projekt célja az volt, mint a külvárosi közösségnek a külvárosi Évora, egy régi római város mintegy 40.000 volt a fővárosban a Alentejo régióban található, mintegy 100 mérföldre keletre, Lisszabon. Bouça és São Victor példák korlátozott infill épület (40 és 12 egység esetében). Malagueira, összehasonlításképpen, egy nagy, kis emelkedés, nagy sűrűségű komplex mintegy 1200 lakás épült időszakban mintegy 20 évvel később egy 27 hektáros telephelyen két meglévő barrio közösségek.

Mindhárom projekt bizonyítja tervezési folyamat építési sűrű városi körülmények Siza jellemzi, hogy az "alkotó egészben romjai". Mindhárom készült hasonló típusú lakás, amelyben egy építészeti szókincs hasonló, gyér köbös formák kialakításához használják geometria és ismétlődő azért jellemző, hogy a legtöbb házban designs, ugyanakkor a magas fokú építészeti fajta.

Előtt, 1973 Siza volt ismert számos kis magán jutalékok, beleértve néhány ház, a Boca Nova étterem, a Pinto & Sotto Maior bank a Azemis de Oliveira, valamint egy úszómedence a Leca da Palimeira, egy kis közösség a tengerparton Észak-Porto. Ezek az épületek kijelző fejlett modernista stílus és egyértelműen azt mutatják, Siza ügyességétől tolmácsolás helyszíni körülmények, a felhasználás az elsődleges geometriai formákat, és a figyelmet, hogy a kiválasztás az alapanyagok és a gondos részletezi.

Siza a lakhatás, az elvégzett munkát, különösen a munkavállalók tanácsok után április 25, 1974 célja az volt, nagyon nehéz politikai és gazdasági feltételek mellett nagyon vitatható, hogy a részvételi folyamat ez szinte lehetetlen, az építész, hogy a funkció a tervező. Természetesen a sszehz, minimalista eredményeit Bouça és São Victor a termék ennek a feltételnek, de azok is tanúsította Siza képességeinek segítségével néhány alapvető stratégiákat és elemek, hogy hozzon létre egy hatékony közös eredményt. A szélsőséges ANGST környező építési Bouça és São Victor, hogy úgy tűnik, hogy része a történelem két lakás projektek tartott évek óta ezek az épületek rossz az idő, amelyet a bontási São Victor, és boldogan, a végső teljesítés Az eredeti design Bouça 2007. Ez volt a tapasztalat, hogy a két projekt formájában precedens, és a színre Malagueira.

Siza kapta a Bizottság Malagueira mert tapasztalat Bouça és São Victor. Lakhatási feltételeinek Portugália reménytelen volt ebben az időben, és a városi tanács Évora akart építeni az új lakások a gördülő táj nyugatra, a régi város úton Lisszabonba. A Évora program eléggé eltérő volt a munka és a Porto ötlet az volt, hogy egy teljesen új műholdas közösség, amely végül a rezidensek tulajdonában lévő egy együttműködési szervezet. Siza kifogásolta, hogy a "szociális lakás" rámutat arra, hogy minden házban van, hanem a társadalmi keretein belül a nemzeti sürgető az igény az új lakások, Malagueira nem gondoltam, mint egy tipikus telepítése támogatott szociális lakások. Tartomány kisajátított egy új közösséget, a tervezett mintegy 1200 lakás.

Két meglévő barrio közösségek, Santa Maria és Nossa Senhora da Gloria, nõtt fel is egyike a sugárirányú utak vezetnek ki a városban, ami vagyok, kelet-nyugati tengelyen. A kígyózó patak fut egy általános észak-déli irányban ezen az oldalon, a város, közöttük a két falu, és ez a tér volt a helyszín, az új közösség. Egyéb nyomai a korábbi megszállás ezen a területen továbbra is az arab fürdő, a víz-tartály, néhány parafa tölgyek, iskola, 2 régi szélmalmok, és a régi lakóhely szerinti Malagueirinha egy szomszédos Orange Grove. A rendszer a menetvonalak volna kidolgozni az idő múlásával az ember járt a különböző célpontok ebben táj közötti falusi bolt, hogy víz, vagy a 35-perces séta a központja Évora a hegytetőn.

A szervezet sütőrostély Santa Maria volt a modell a layout az új negyedév képező új utcai minta kisebb darabjai a tartán térképrács párhuzamos sorban utcák és sikátorok és a back-to-back patio házak. A legnagyobb ezek a csoportok is kiterjeszti az északi szélén, a Santa Maria alkotó egy hosszú keskeny zóna megnyitása a nyilvános terek a patak mentén. Kisebb darabjai a hálózathoz csatlakoztatva volt a vége az eredeti barrio lényegében bővülő kezdőpontja a faluban. Mégis más csoportok adtak otthont különböző szögből alkotó különböző szomszédsággal reagál kitűzések azt a tájat. A kígyózó interstitialis terek között szomszédsággal része a nyilvános nyílt terek, a követendő preexisting pályák és egyéb jellemzői a tájat. Ezek a területek között kiépített rendszeres klaszterek házak használják a közösségi felhasználás, a vásárlás, parkolási lehetőség, pihenés, és a gyalogos forgalomban.

A rendszer a felvetett konkrét vízvezetékek csatlakozik a külön lakossági csoportok együtt, és biztosítja az infrastruktúrát, a víz-és elektromos forgalmazás. Aqueduct volt jellemző a római és később a reneszánsz korában, és továbbra is ezek még mindig látható Évora. Ez létrehozta a precedens, hogy létrejöjjön a vízvezetékek használják fel a víz szétosztása az új közösségbe. Megemelt csatornák készült kitett betontömb, hogy támogatja az oszlopot, amely többé-kevésbé folyamatos loggiával struktúrát, amely összekapcsolja szomszédsággal míg szervizeléséhez minden házat a környéken klaszterekre. A vízvezeték-rendszer alapján indokolt költség, de ez is működik, mint egy nagy tervezési eszköz, amely összeköti szomszédsággal és formák nyilvános ARCADES meghatározó bejáratain csoportjainak üzletekben és más nyilvános létesítmények. Mert van építve a magassága a tető az épület második emeletén, és a bal befejezetlen konkrét, hanem vizuális és formai mentességet a könyörtelen, ismétlődő, fehér falak a lakás.

A skála a Malagueira sokkal nagyobb, mint a Porto korábbi helyszíneken, de az alap 2-történet lakások hasonló. A Bouça, 2-történet maisonettes kombinált oda-vissza a 4-történet, galéria-hozzáférés kiépítését. A sort a lakásra Malagueira, bár ezek csak 2-szintes, ossza hasonló oda-vissza szakasz fogalma minden néznek az utcára. A São Victor, a sokkal kisebb, mint a helyén, 2-történet lakások használták artikuláris sor az egyes házak néhány meghatározott külső terek elől és hátul.

A lakások a Malagueira a terasz vagy Atrium fajta az "ell" alakú csoport szoba két oldalán, egy kis belső udvar. Két hasonló, egyaránt épül egy 8m x 12m telken, egy az udvaron az első és a másik pedig az udvarban hátul. Mindkettő nappali, étkező és konyha terek az udvarban szintet egy belső lépcső vezet hálószoba és teraszok felett. A kétféle lehet kombinálni különböző módokon ami különböző mintákat a szilárd és semmis. Ez a manipuláció a párosított kombinációk fontos, hogy a gazdag összefűzött ritmust, hogy elérjék a paletta csak két lakás típusokat. Wall magasságértékek változhat belépési kapu magasság, a második emelet magasságban a falat, hogy a szellőzőcső merőleges az utcára, és kiterjeszti a magassága, a második emeleten a tető. Ez a tartomány a fal magasságértékek párosulva váltakozó álláspontja az patios és teraszok eredmények gazdag térbeli összetételét. Az építkezés következik, a domborzat, így a ház lépésre végig az utcán, valamint a léptetési merőleges az utcára. Ez tovább növeli a kompozíciós fajta. Kitűnik, távolról, a házak úgy tűnik, hogy magasabb, mint a csak 2 emelet, mivel ezek fokozzák a kontúrjai azt a benyomást keltve, egy sokkal sűrűbb, magasabb, teraszos szervezet. A paletta nagyon kevés az ajtó és ablak formák is változnak a magasság a kontúrok előmozdítja az összefűzött szervezet a falak. A házakat úgy tervezték, hogy bővíthető, hogy az idő múlásával az utasait, hogy így kezdődik, mint egy egyszerű két ház épült, egy szinten lehet átalakítani egy nagyobb lakás, több szoba, több fürdő, és a tető teraszokon. A hiányos minősége a változó falú házak a hangerő segítségével lebontják a szigorú ismétlődésétől jellemző leginkább alacsony költségű lakás.

Sok összehasonlításokat tettek között Siza a lakhatás és a holland és a német siedlungen a 1920 és néhány munkája Adolf Loos. A lapos tetők használata, a fehér vakolat külső falak, a ritka alkalmazása az ablakok és az ajtók és az, ha a dekoráció minden hasonló közös jellemzőit. São Victor lehetne tekinteni változata Oud a Weissenhof házak sora, amelyeket be szinte lehetetlen oldalon. Malagueira lehet tekinteni Weisenhoff egységek néznek az utca mindkét oldalán, és méghozzá egymáshoz ismétlődő sorokban. A párhuzamos sorok lakások a kerekített kereskedelmi ér véget Bouça vannak hasonlóságok a Kiefhoek bár Bouça a 4-történet magas, galéria típusát. Bouça is hasonlóságokat Mart Stam a lemez, de a réteges minőségű szakasz használata a színes falak a felső emeleten, a bonyolult rész, a felső terasz és a gondos felszerelése, az épület a helyén van minőségekre meglehetősen eltér a zeilenbau tipológiája a használt Stam, és mások. Loos korai házak és a projekt 20 teraszos ház számos a köbös, gyér minőségű, és a szilárd / void szervezése Malagueira, de ez unbuilt volt egy javaslat a 4-történet,-hozzáférési pont teraszos lemezbugák. Más javaslatokat tettek, hogy a volt Malagueira származó népi portugál források és racionalizmus. Siza azonban úgy érezte, hogy építészeti nőtt a háttér és a gazdasági és műszaki feltételek mellett az időt.

Eltérően a Porto munka, az éves Malagueira több mint 30 éve a szakma. Bouça lezárult, és helyre kell állítani és a termék egy másik lakó modellt. Mert Malaguiera támogatott és finanszírozott és tartja fenn a város Évora, és mert az itt élő lakosok voltak olyan kombinációja a magán-és szövetkezeti tulajdon és a bérleti díjak, az épületek már jól karbantartott, és a legnagyobb része, úgy tűnik, elég jól, mint mert mikor épült. Az 1100 lakás épült, ami a 1977, 60%-a volt szövetkezetek, 35%-os bérleti díj, és 5%-os magántulajdonban van. Finanszírozási volt elhelyezni úgy, hogy házat lehetett tulajdonú után 25 év. A co-ops is ellenőrzött viszonteladói árakat, hogy korlátozzák a spekuláció és al-bérbeadás nem volt megengedett. Ezek és más korlátozó szabályokat módosította az eredeti épület hozzájárult az értelemben a jólét és a magas szintű karbantartása.

Vannak példák a fajta "vernacularization" elkerülhetetlen, hogy megy egy nagy építkezési projekt, mint ez, főleg, hogy az egyik leginkább utasvédelmi tulajdonban. A festett wainscots és színes berendezés körül festett ajtók és ablakok egyes házak (látszólagos kísérlet bemutatása a környezetben a népi Alentejo épület), az alkalmazott utáni kiegészítők, mint a legördülő redőnyök, ajtó rács, légkondicionáló egységek (a biztos jele A tulajdonos jóléti), véletlenszerű elektromos vezetékeket, a hozzáadott utcai lámpák, az ablakok és az utólag arbors és trellises kap, hogy a tetőre épített teraszok mind jelei tulajdonosa foglalkozás, de ez korlátozott, és nem súlyosan károsította az átfogó minőséget és karbantartása Malagueira. A graffiti volna csábító mindezen fehér falak, és amely meglehetősen jellemző a legtöbb alacsony jövedelmű, a lakhatás, úgy tűnik, hogy teljesen hiányzik itt.

Egy nyilvánvaló probléma Malalgueira a fejlesztését és felhasználását az interstitialis térben. A kontraszt az erősen strukturált szervezet, a házak és utcák és a több lelkipásztori táj a kígyózó ösvény a patak egy csábító fogalom, hanem a félkész állapotban inkább olvasni csak maradék helyet. Egyes elemek, amelyeket a beépített e táj, a tó, a nyitott színház, a gát az utcán, és a Loggia alakult előtt a boltokban a vízvezeték nyilvánvaló át az interstitialis övezetben lakik, de akik nem Úgy tűnik, elég erős ahhoz, hogy csatlakozzunk a táj és az építészet. Az átok a külvárosi lakások projekt volt, hogy olyan gyakran kapcsolódik a napi szükségletek bevásárló; Malalgueira lakosok továbbra is úgy tűnik, hogy az úti élelmiszerbolt bags hosszú sétákat mentén az eredeti pályák csatlakozó helyek a Alentejo tájat.

Project Quinta da Malagueira
Építész Siza, Alvaro
Város Évora
Ország Portugália
Cím Av.. da Malagueira, c. 2 km w. A Évora
Épület típusa fürtözött kis emelkedés
Row house
Lakások száma 1200
Dátum Épült 1977-1998
LAKÁSSZOLGÁLTATÁSOK Típusok 2-4 BR ház udvarán
Emeletek száma 2
Szakasz típusa rowhouse
Exterior Befejezés
Anyagok vakolat, conc., Fa ablakok
Építőipari típusa conc. kocka, kőműves falak
Kiegészítő szolgáltatások, parkolási, kereskedelmi, közösségi tereivel

Ver mapa Maior
Galíciai Művészeti Múzeum

Rua Ramón del Valle Inclán, 15704

Santiago de Compostela
Combining nagy gesztusok a perceket intimitás, Alvaro Siza új épület Media Science University of Santiago de Compostela reinterprets mediterrán archetípusokat absztrakt szintézise az űrkutatás és a fény.

Az egyik Alvaro Siza a legjelentősebb projekt a 1990-es évek közepén volt a galíciai Művészeti Múzeum a szívében Santiago de Compostela (AR 1994 október). Ez a fejlődés a jelölt és a program léptéke és kimutatták, hogy az egyre növekvő érzékenységet Siza kezelése a tér és a fény. Ez a legújabb épülete látja visszatérni Santiago de Compostela, de ahelyett, hogy zárva a középkori mag, részét képezi a város egyetemi campus csatlakozás egy sor, az épületek egy park-szerű tájat. 1501-ből származó, Santiago de Compostela Egyetem egyik legrégebbi Spanyolországban, és ez az új épület, a Kar Média tudomány, ami a legutolsó fázisban szerény az intézmény évszázados alakulását.

[Megtekintés PicLens]

Az egyetemi campus főterv az eredetileg alapuló fogalmát egyetlen összekapcsolt megastructure, ami hasonló a Free University of Berlin. De fokozatosnak kiegészítéseket, mint az új diák residences fokozatosan hígított ezt a fogalmat. Amikor Siza jutott a projekt azt tiszteletben tartják a meglévő általános geometria, de a tervezett épület, amely a kihelyezett lezár, és kiterjeszti az eredeti terv. A legfontosabb eleme az új kar egy hosszú, bár lineáris helyezett kelet-nyugati tengelyen következik, hogy az összehangolás a szomszédos Philology Kar a nyugat. A bár jár a zsír gerinc az épület, a különböző csoportosulások lakóterekben zárva hozzáhegesztik képező semienclosed patios, hogy kapcsolatba lépjenek a táj és a fény, hogy a belsejében. Átalakításához és újraértelmezésének ősi archetípus, Siza használati patios a már jól ismert eszközt (például a rectorate at Alicante Egyetem, AR március 2000). De arra is felhívja a többi újabb források, mint például Aalto és a skandináv modernizmus. Siza is vonzotta az úton Aalto az informális udvaraira átdolgozásra mediterrán formában, így megerősítéséről és újra azt. Set félúton mentén a fő bárban, a könyvtár képezi az épület fogalmi és fizikai központ, lökő arra merőlegesen, mint a csonka hajó, a hajó. Lebegett a zömök pilotis, annak tömegét részben őrlődött így séta alatt meg kell érkeznie a főbejárat a déli oldalon. Mint minden Siza épület, a kezelés a külső jellemzi megsértése és impassiveness. Rising a rusticated alapja finoman csatlakozott méz színű gránit, falak szilárd és olvasztott fehér stukkók, a mediterrán hagyomány. A vízhatlan, fehér bőr ruptured egy maroknyi vízszintes nyílások valamilyen árnyékolt vékony rányomja, hogy az emelkedés egy furcsa bozontos szemöldökű hatása.

Mivel egyes kritikusok észrevették, Siza építészete hasonlít az egyre növekvő szervezet a kutatás, a felfedezés, amely fokozatosan földeletlen és elemek kristályosított. Ez a kutatás zajlik több mérlegek, a város meg a szintet a kis részleteket. Bizonyos témák ismétlődnek, mint például azt az elképzelést, amely épület sorozata topográfiai események, kapcsolódó rámpák és szintek között. A Santiago de Compostela, ez képezi fő szervezeti készüléket. Déli oldalán, a földre esik el a sekély lejtő, a fák saját bázisát. Az ünnepi járat lépések és a hosszú rámpa vezet fel az utcáról, hogy közelednek a főbejárat. Nyáron, a zöld lejtő lépések colonized a diákok, mivel a kiterjesztés az épület.

Belül, a metafora Építőanyag-astopography is újra a gerinc galéria, amely összekapcsolja a különböző kötetek. Airy és méltóságteljes, a galéria fürdött hűvös északi fényt. A hosszú földi szél elmúlt egy sor, az előadás csarnokok a tantermekben és a stúdiók a felső szinten. Cirkulációs válik társadalmi esemény, mint a hallgatók tömeg révén a magas gallery térben. A sort az előadás csarnokok megszűnik a nézőtéren, hogy a nagyobb projektek végre az északi oldalon, hasonló a mérete és formája a könyvtár a déli oldalán. Az East End a gerinc, egy U-alakú házak összeállás helyiségek film, televízió és rádió stúdiók által kiszolgált raktárak, műhelyek és tantermek.

Az épület alapvetően nugát különböző méretű kötetben, érzékenyen hangolni, hogy tárja fel annak lehetőségét egyaránt nagy gesztus és az emberi intimitást. A könyvtár, például egy heroikus dupla magasságú térben, toplit a szögletes nyílásokat lyukasztotta a finoman ívelt tető. Mégis, a felső szint képezi majd a hazai scaled mezzanine csendes tanulmány, robbanásra fent a fő szót alább.

Műveletsorral tömörítést és bővítése, ellenőrzött különböző nézetek és intenzitását figyelembe véve mind finoman modulált és orchestrated hogy olyan kényszerítő architecturale sétány. Fény tükröződik ki elsősorban kemény vagy fényes felülettel, amely a belső hűvös fényintenzitást. Anyagok, mint például a fehér stukkó, gránit, és polírozott fát kell kiválasztani, hogy egyszerűség, a kényelem és az éghajlati stabilitás (döntő az épületben, hogy nehéz lesz elviselni a napi használat). A kő padló és sima falak, a gerinc galéria olyan, mint egy kiterjesztése a külső, a belső-külső homályos realm. Szintén figyelmet fordítani a kisebb méretű elemek, mint például a lakberendezés, korlátok, kilincsek és plinths, amely olyan tartalék, megerőltetés elegancia.

A feltárás a fény, textúra, mozgás és tér, Siza épületei érjünk az érzékek, több módon is. Különböző forrásokból inspirációs gondolkodunk absztrakt, fantáziadús egysége saját hierarchia és a nyelvet. Mégis Siza megközelítése nem csak a meghatározott visszatérő formák és jellemzői, de úgy látják, gondolkodás és érzés mintegy sok építése, éghajlat, a történelem, az intézményi ideáljainak és a használati minták. Santiago de Compostela továbbra lenyűgöző alakulását.

Alvaro Siza (szül. 1933) úgy Portugália legnagyobb élő építész és valószínűleg a legjobb, hogy az országban még soha elő. Műveit a nemzetközileg elismert, hogy a koherencia, a világosság, és mi Siza hívások primitivizmus - a minőség, hogy elismeri az összetettsége és ellentmondások a projekt nélkül próbálkozik, hogy a mesterséges ellenőrzést felettük.

Siza született város Matosinhos közelében Porto, Portugália, 1933-ban. Tanulmányait az építészet Escola de belas Artes a Porto 1949-1955, és az első design-ban épült, 1954. 1955-1958-ig dolgozott az építész Fernando Tavora. A 1950-es években kialakított több Siza projektek Matosinhos, beleértve a magánházak, az egyházi központ, a Tourinform Iroda, valamint az alacsony költségű lakás-projekt, valamint az elismert Boa Nova étterem (1958-63; felújított 1992) és egy nyilvános úszás Medence a Leca da Palmeira (1958-65). Ezek a korai projektek Siza jellegzetes integrálhatják a mintaoltalmat eltérő minőségek a környezetben.

"Felkarolása a Rhythm of The Air"

Siza munka, bár kapcsolódik a minimalizmus, úgy gyökerezik expresszionizmus. Ezek a gyökerek látható a formális struktúráit a tervek, amelyek szerint az Oriol Bohigas, hogy "mindig alapuló egységét térben és mennyisége, és rendelkeznek" abszolút koherencia a funkció és forma. "Ezek a tulajdonságok már látható a Boa Nova projektet választott, a verseny, illetve az Matosinhos Város Tanácsa 1958-ban. Az épület helyén drámai a sziklás partok szerves Siza, hogy a látványos design. Az elkészült munkát, amely 1992-ben felújított, vers ihlette a "Alvaro Siza's Étterem Boa Nova" by Eugenio de Andrade: "A zenei érdekében a tér, illetve a nyilvánvaló igazság kő, / a konkrét szépség / a föld növekszik Az utolsó néhány lépést, / a zárt / és folyamatos és nyugodt line / felkarolása a ritmust a levegő, / a fehér Építészet / sztrippelve / csupasz a csontokat /, ahol a tenger jött be!

1966-ban csatlakozott a kari Siza a School of Architecture in Porto (ESBAP), és 1976-ben kinevezett adjunktus az építés. A 1960-as és 1970-es évek elején, akkor tovább design magánházak, valamint a kereskedelmi épületek közelében Portóban. A második medence a Leca da Palmeira kijelzők ragyogó a térkihasználás. A tervezési célokra természetes rock formation, hogy kiegészítsék az ember alkotta oldalán egy nagy medence elhelyezni, ha faragta ki a homok és a szikla a tengerpart. A kisebb gyermekmedence, a változó építési és kávézó is tartalmaz, és az épület meghatározott szint alá történő hozzáférés út ahhoz, hogy zavartalanul tekintettel az óceánt. José Paulo dos Santos megjegyezte, az ő Alvaro Siza: Works & Projects 1954-1992, hogy a terv tartalmaz hivatalos utalások finn építész Alvar Aalto és neoplasticist architektúrához.

Az állami lakások és a városi tervezés

Mivel a 1970-es évek közepén, Siza részt vett számos rajzolatáról állami lakásokat. Abban az időben, túlzsúfoltság, valamint a hiányos egészségügyi létesítmények plagued sok régi szakaszai Oporto, és a forradalom után Portugália Salazar diktátor ellen 1974-ben, a politikai csoport Saal (servicio de apoio ambulatorio helyi) reagált a városi problémák orvoslására tervezés designs nyomornegyed feltételeket. 1974-ben Siza dolgozott felújítások a Bouca negyedévben, ami mind megoldja a problémákat, hogy a volt jellemző az elavult épületek és illeszkedik a történelmi háttér az oldalon. Ő használt vertebral fal átvizsgálja a projekt a szomszédos vasúti síneken. Merőleges ezen a falon négy lineáris teraszok kettős maisonettes képező hosszú udvarok emlékeztető típusát környéken az új projekt cserélni.

Siza dolgozott Saal újra tervpályázatot a rehabilitáció a Sao Victor kerület Oporto, akkor belefogott a hatalmas támogatott lakásépítési projekt Quinta de Malagueira, Evora, 1977-ben. Ez a terv tartalmazza 1, 200 lakás egységek, valamint az intézményi és kereskedelmi létesítmények, az emelt szolgáltatási csatorna, ami hasonló a reneszánsz vízvezeték, amelyek táplálják a régi város, szállító eszközök. "A nagy vitatkozó," írta dos Santos, "a program érinti a hozzáállás, és a hivatalos eredményeket az európai modernista települések, de elutasítja, hogy az elszigetelt környezetben. Az abszorpció a kulturális törekvéseit, a különböző társadalmi osztályok, a nyomást helyezni a nyilvános térben az autót, és a kétértelmű követelményeit közösségi identitás meggyőzően megoldani ezt a rendszert. "

Képező egészben Ruins

Siza érdekében a városi tervezés hamar rá a projektek kívül Portugália. A 1970-es évek végén dolgozott egy városrekonstrukciós design a Berlin Kreuzberg kerületében, és az 1984-ben első díjat nyert a Nemzetközi Építőipari Kiállítás (IBA) a rehabilitációja az egész blokk az ugyanabban a körzetben. A projekt (Schlesisches Tor) volt, hogy fenn van a blokk, vegyes lakó-és kereskedelmi hely, hanem azért, mert a pénzügyi szempontok, a projektgazda több változások a tervezés. Az elkészült projekt, bár nem fenntartják a hajlított-, hullám-szerű homlokzata az épület sarkán. Doug Clelland kommentálta az Architectural Review, hogy a rendszer kötögetni együtt a jelenlegi anyaga az oldalon is, de "nem a jelenlét biztosítása és a leromlott tizenkilencedik századi blokk az utca túloldalán." Valójában Siza maga is megjegyezte, hogy "A probléma az, hogy formában egészében a romok. "Ez a figyelmet arra, hogy a múltban, a Kenneth Frampton tervező Quarterly, a minőségi különbséget Siza megközelítése az, hogy sok kortársak. Hangsúlyozta, hogy az összes Siza kollektív lakhatási projektek ott van a "lehetséges, hogy létrejöhessen egy kritikus kölcsönhatása az új és a tönkrement.

Több más állami lakásépítési projektek tervezésében Siza a Guidecca kerület Velence, amely először 1985-ben nemzetközi versenyt az ellenőrzött költség támogatott lakhatás a Campo di Marte, és a tervezés 106 alacsony költségű egységek Hága. Hollandia projekt megállapította, dos Santos, utal, hogy a tégla hagyomány az építészek, mint Michel de Klerk és JJP Oud, de az is kiderül, befolyása Mendelsohn.

A 1980-as évek Siza bővült a nemzetközi repertoár, mikor felkérték, hogy számos nemzetközi versenyeken, köztük az Expo 92 Sevillában 1986-ban; Un Progretto per Siena, Olaszország, 1988-ban; Bibliotheque de France, Paris, 1989-90, és a Helsinki Múzeum, 1993. Ő nyert első helyét a Schlesisches Tor, Kreuzberg, Berlin 1980; helyreállítás Campo di Marte, Velence, 1985-ben; redevelopment a Casino és Kávézó Winkler, Salzburg, 1986, és a La Defensa Művelődési Központ, Madrid, 1988-89. Ebben az időszakban ő is dolgozott, számos intézményi és kereskedelmi projektekben. A Banco Borges és Irmao Vila do Conde, Portugália, méltó a vertikális identitás és drámai forgó jellegű, mind a belső emelet vizuálisan kapcsolódó mint Le Corbusier's Carthage villa. "JoaÅo de Deus" Óvoda Penafiel, Portugália, épül a szobortalapzat válaszol a kihívásokra a helyszínre, és hogy a struktúra különféle célokra.

Széles Concerns

Siza azon számos építészeti érdekek különösen széles, a lakóhelyek az egyházak, iskolák, bevásárló központok, könyvtárak, múzeumok, sőt, legutóbb, bútorok. A design a portói Építészmérnöki Kar, a monumentális projekt a befejezéséhez közeledik. Ez több olyan épületekben elhelyezett mellett a bankok a Douro folyó egy megállapodást, hogy az egyik kritikus azt javasolja, hogy a célzás az Akropolisz. A másik megjegyezte, befolyása az osztrák és a német építészet ezen a tervezés, rámutatva arra, hogy Siza a pontos skála kiegészíteni az építész "finom megértése a környékre." Valójában Siza hevesen ellenezte a tervet, hogy állítson össze egy nagy autó throughway mentén folyópart, azzal érvelve, hogy akadálytalanul folyó portál is elválaszthatatlan az Építészmérnöki Kar teljes design.

Among Siza's other unusual projects are a water tower for the University of Aveiro (1988-89), designed as a reinforced concrete slab and parallel cylinder which rise out of a reflecting sheet of water, and the cylindrical meteorological center for the Barcelona Olympic Village (1989-92), built on the beach of the city's Olympic Port. Critics admired the way in which the design for the meteorological center “has both presence and autonomy with respect to the grand dimensions of the neighbouring volumes and the scale of the Port's quays and harbor wall.”

Other projects of the late 1980s and early 1990s include La Defensa Cultural Centre, Madrid (1988); the Museum of Contemporary Art, Santiago de Compostela, Spain (1988-93); the Rector's Office and Law Library for the University of Valencia (1990); the Vitra office furniture factory, Weil-am-Rhein, Germany (1991); and the Contemporary Art Museum, Casa de Serralves, Oporto (1991).

One of Siza's most important ongoing projects is the reconstruction of Lisbon's historic Chiado district. This area, the principal civic and commercial space for the neighborhood, was heavily damaged by fire in 1988. Seventeen buildings had to be redesigned based on historic plans. The project was complicated by damage from tunnel excavation under the site, which badly weakened the foundations of several buildings, especially the ancient ruins of the Carmo Convent. Siza has been active in seeking solutions for this damage.

International Renown

In addition to his major design projects, Siza remains deeply committed to teaching. He has participated in numerous conferences and seminars throughout Europe, North and South America, and Japan. He has been a visiting professor at the Ecole Polytechnique of Lausanne, the University of Pennsylvania, the Los Andes School, the University of Bogota, and Harvard University's Graduate School of Design as Kenzo Tange Visiting Professor. He continues to teach at the Oporto School of Architecture.

Siza's distinguished work has been widely recognized. In 1982, he was awarded the Prize of Architecture from the Portuguese Department of the International Association of Art Critics, and in 1987 he received an award from the Portuguese Architects Association. In 1988, Siza received the Gold Medal for Architecture from the Colegio de Architectos, Madrid, the Gold Medal from the Alvar Aalto Foundation, the Prince of Wales Prize in Urban Design from Harvard University, and the European Architectural Award from the EEC/Mies van der Rohe Foundation, Barcelona. In 1992, he was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize from the Hyatt Foundation of Chicago, for lifetime achievement. That same year, Siza was also named Doctor Honoris Causa at the University of Valencia. In 1993, he won the National Prize of Architecture from the Portuguese Architects Association and was named Doctor Honoris Causa at the Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne. In 1996, he received the honorary title of Fellow, American Institute of Architects.

In May 1996, a major retrospective of Siza's work opened in his home town of Matosinhos. “Alvara Siza-Buildings and Projects” included models of many of the architect's projects since 1980, as well as pieces of his furniture, drawings, sketches, and photographs. Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio attended the exhibit's opening ceremonies. The show, which was scheduled to travel to Tenerife, Sardinia, Brussels, Brazil, and the United States, was expected to draw more than 150, 000 people.

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Av. Dr. Manuel Pereira Soares 10 4630

Marco de Canaveses Portugal

The Church for Marco of Canaveses, is only a part of a religious complex that foresees an auditorium, the catechesis school and the house for the parish priest. The Santa Maria Church in Marco de Canavezes is part of an overall complex that, together with a planned Parish Center, will form a small urban square.It was the parish priest Father Nuno Higino's personal decision to call on Siza, and to invest himself fully in this very ambitious project.
The proposed plan by Alvaro Siza, with the church playing a central role, will ensure that the other buildings will be in concordance with the pre-existing scale of the neighbourhood. The façade (17.5 x 17.5 square meter ) is in three sections with two projecting towers. The 10 meter high temporary grey steel doors will eventually be replaced by bronze doors. “The visit to the place already chosen had disturbed myself deeply: it was a very difficult place, with great quota differences, lofty to a highway with a lot of traffic. As if it was not enough, that area was marked by buildings of terrible quality.

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The construction of this parochial center is also the construction of a place, in substitution of a scarp very accentuated. The church pronounces in two levels: a superior, of the assembly, and an inferior, of the mortuary chapel. As they show the access courses to the two quotas, they are decisively two spaces with different characteristics. The mortuary chapel is almost the foundation of the own church: it creates a stable quota, it fastens, so that the church can lean on. Besides, with their granite walls and the monastery, it establishes the distance in relation to the highway. This inhabited platform owed therefore to appear as “built nature.” But it is also very important the placement, in face of the main access, of the parochial center and of the parish priest's residence. These volumes define a great “U” that opposes to a small “u” formed by the two towers, the one of the steeple and the one of the baptistery. It appears, like this, the necessary space for the great vertical volume of the facade. At the same time, it becomes possible a relationship with the constructions of small climbs that surround this acropolis. Like this, the churchyard is demarcated.

The initial reference was a construction that already existed, a residence for the third age, of a correct and ordinated architecture , located in the superior quota of the scarp and with a very significant extension in relation to the highway. Starting from this new level, everything else went pronouncing, resisting the complexity of the existent constructions and allowing the creation of a churchyard finally, open on the beautiful worth of Marco de Canaveses. Let us hope that new constructions don't come her to lean on the terrible ones that already exist and stay opened, that is essential.

The great door of the church, with its ten meters of height, should exist in relation to this vast view. The entrance is made, usually, through a glass door, under the right tower, while the big door is only open in special circumstances. After the lateral movement of entrance, the perception of a low and long window, on the right side, that allows the view to the exterior. In that instant, if it doesn't seat the diffuse light that arrives of the high openings in the wall curves and sloping to the, left: They see each other, still and immediately, it is worth it and the constructions in front. The window contradicts the withdrawal atmosphere that are habituated at a church and for this reason it generated controversy. The same with the placement of the statue of the Virgin, that is almost as high as the followers and is not agrees in pedestal. Though surprisingly, a theologian, very dear in Porto eulogized the respect for the actuais beginnings of the liturgy, that accentuate the function of mediation of the Virgin between God and the men and by consequence among men. Is facto the statue of Our Lady has an intermediate position: put in the extremity of the window and submited to a very intense light, it introduces the space of the altar, that who enters doesn't notice immediately. Three steps elevate the plan of the celebration, that ended with two doors, for which enters clear light, filtered by a high chimney. This disposition dialogues with the light bath on the curve forms of the lateral limits of the apse and on the space of the church in general.

The natural illumination varies with the time, depending on the position of the sun, and it is going from the projection of the drawing of the ray of light to the silence of the aspersion: a great interval, rigorous and tangible. The assembly of all of the elements is, evidently, coherent. Though this order, characterized by some existent contradictions, it was built in a slow and laborious way. There were not pré-defined ideas, given by priori. What is now readable is the result of the decantation of certain reflections of the space, today so difficult, of the church. This difficulty is because of the a series of important alterations in the liturgy: think of the celebration of the mass, that now finds the priest turned to the assembly. Such a change transforms the carácter of the celebration entirely and it annuls the sense of traditional space organization, in their several forms and in its slow and permanent evolution. At the same time, this new condition doesn't justify the interpretation of the church as auditorium. Almost all of the recent projects doesn't deepen this aspect properly. It was indispensable, consequently, a reflection of the conditions, we could say functional, of the space of the church. However the discussions with the theologians put in evidence the contradiction that involves the several interpretations today. And so it is an unstable program, still to be solved. Though it was evident the need to create a projection of the celebrant, a communion with the assembly, without, unavoidably, if it created its own distance of any auditorium. For this reason I proposed, for the apse, curvatures no longer concave but convex. It is also in this case not a pré-conceived idea, immediately derived of the variation of the liturgy: it is an intuition, born of a series of demands, among the ones which the need to conserve the relationship among the objects and the movements that are part of the celebration.

In the space around the altar a series of elements that participate in the ritual exist: the pulpit, the own altar, the tabernacle, the chairs of the celebrants and the cross, the ones which slowly took form and they defined the space later, in the respect for the movements, pré-established, of the mass. Like this the church acquired form as a sculpture in negative, in which it went establishing continuity relationships and tension among several parts. The plan of the course that, in the inferior floor, links the exterior to the mortuary chapel is the result of the study of what happens in these spaces. It was decisive, in the reality, the knowledge of the meaning of the funeral in the area of Minho.

When I visited the wonderful crematory cemetery of the Dutch arquitecto Pieter Oud, I had the possibility to attend a funereal cerimony I verified that the atmosphere and the relationship of the people are decisively different from what happens in Portugal.

Here, during the funeral, the family and the close friends are very close to the deceased, while many other people, like neighbors stayed at a certain distance, naturally with smaller pain and emotion. It became necessary a sequence of spaces with different characteristics.

Also for this reason I thought of a monastery, in which the people would smoke, talk or eventually, why not, talk of businesses: it is a way to react to that certain discomfort at the encounter, so direct, with the problem of death. This reacção to the pain is not, for instance, in the funerals in Holland, during which it dominates the total silence. The monastery is followed by a first gallery, quite wide, marked by the entrance door, the wall curves and goes down by the apse. Few meters ahead it open up, to the left, another gallery that has, in the bottom, a vertical window from where you can see the highway again. I don't know what is the connection between this window and the horizontal window of the superior level, but I have faith that the vertical position of the one that is in bass, in the embasament is owed in search of the necessary sensation of the weight, of the gravity. The course finishes at the mortuary chapel, that communicates with the first gallery thanks to a horizontal window.

The people that are in the interior have, the perception of the ones that enter or leave, exactamente as it happens in the superior level, it finishes like an opening that allows the view of the monastery. One returns then, once again, to the starting point, with the noise of the water of a source. In the yard is imposed with private relief the presence of a stairway, that leads again to the superior level. In this project, the unit is checked by the courses that finish in the starting point, circularly. The final sensation is really of a closed place, well delimited.

It always impressed me the obsessive invitation to the meditation that we feel in most of the churches. In fact the openings are frequently put to such height to doesn't allow look at the exterior, at the same time that the use of the stained glass windows eliminates the continuity and the transparency. ON the other hand, I think that the recent modifications in the liturgy contrast with this vision of closed and segregated space. When I began to study the program, I quickly understood the enormous reach of this rupture in the secular continuity of the tradition. Though I think that this aspect doesn't have any parallel one in the real life of the Church, in the relationship between the church and the society. For this reason, and in spite of the necessary adaptations, I tried to preserve the continuity with the tradition. And so, observing the carácter of this church sincerely, it seems evident that its conception is substantially conservative. This intention emerges with clarity of the drawing of the plant that in fact expresses a rigid axialidade.

Contextualy, the verticality of the interior is very strong. In fact, in spite of the ship being ofasquare section, the articulation certain elements, such as the two openings behind the altar, it gives the sence of elevation. Several discussions would come to reinforce this continuity idea with the canonic espaciality . The theologians' pieces of advice were constant and decisive. And so for instance, the baptistery, initially put beside the altar, was later deviated close to the entrance, so that announced the presence of the assembly. Besides, once of the procession of the celebrants has to travel the longitudinal axis of the church, it became necessary the presence of a door, in the wall it curves.

The ritual of the celebration demands, evidently, certain options in the treatment of the space and in the organization of the courses. On some of the interior walls tile was used. It was necessary a resistant baseboard, that obviated the problems of the cleaning and of the maintenance. In the first moment I had thought wasn't the best about a covering in wood. But this choice soon I thought, because it would have annulled the verticality of the wall and overcoat because the reflection of the light would have been inadequate.Then I thought then about the tile that, produced artistically, conserves a surface slightly irregular; that allows peculiar reflexes of light, while the committees, that are left empty, manifest a sensitive presence.

The continuity with tow and the unit of the color is cut for that presence and for those reflexes. In a first phase, the tile flanked the whole church; then, the wall curves to arrive at the soil, the solution the problem of contact with the doors, was its limited use. One of the objectives that one could not abdicate consisted exactly in avoiding that the details were so evident that it competed with the structure of the space. I worked intensely in the relationship, encounter and transition of the materials. The tile has the function of solving the problem of the continuity, lessening the existent ruptures. The way to solve the problem of the continuity. Lessening the existent ruptures. The way which these three materials are linked - wood, tile and tow - is very special, and there are probably things, that I cannot describe, that appeared to me by the experience of the space, during the construction. In the chapel baptismal I have intention of drawing - inside the wall of the access - illustrations with about six meters of height, deformed according to the perspective. These characters, that together represent Christ's baptismo, they are of a decisive importance, in this space exceptional, high and narrow, and they will be stylized in way the one that don't result excessive. They will have a very strong presence, in a dark blue or in black, in way they emphasize her/it in the white tile. I already finished the drawings, but I didn't have courage of giving begin to the accomplishment: I still have need of time.

The elements that should be drawn are still many.

The own cross was only put after the inauguration. In a first phase I had thought about a cross in wood, with a work of the outlines not very well defined and with volumes, that suggested Christ's illustration. Then the drawing passed by many other phases, much more simplified, to define, finally, in a cross in that, in the encounter between vertical and horizontal, in the form of the vertical and in the vibrations of the wood, it is immediately evident the human presence. Now I want to cover it with a sheet of gold. The cross was put in a position sincerely gaged, close to the altar, and with light. The sheet gold will give, then, a larger dematerialization and, not demanding protagonism, will react imprevisivelmente with the space. Returning to the exterior, it is noticed a solid presence of the granite that, in this area, is one of the most important elements in the landscape, in the Nature and in the construction. In this project, the platform in granite appears as necessary counterpoint to the lightness and a great geometric conciseness of the white volume. In some hours of the day the church almost seems it dematerializes: some times it seems to disappear, other times in other occasions, it almost stands out violently. And so it was necessary a base that arrested it to the soil.

I had already been in Turkey, where I had studied the Pré-Columbus constructions, that evidently left the mark in certain volumes so accentuated.

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Via Panorámica
Porto
Portugal

Alvaro Siza 1995

The buildings of the Porto architecture school are set on a terraced site high above the estuary of the Douro River. This area is bordered on three sides by highway exits and by Campo Alegre street, and on the east by the former estate of Quinta da Povoa - the site of the architecture school before its expansion, which houses an earlier project by Siza - the first-year Carlos Ramos Pavilion.

Adjacent to the rusticated stone wall of the estate, the new faculty buildings stretch out along two vertices of a triangular site, enclosing between them a courtyard and central meeting space.

The main building on the northern side, a continuous volume which provides visual and acoustic protection from the road above, contains departmental offices, lecture halls, an auditorium and a library. Across the courtyard on the southern side are four individual studio towers, which are placed several meters apart to allow views to the river, their different heights and facade configurations conforming to variations in the program. These are connected to the main building by a series of corridors below the plaza.

The volumes of the main building and towers converge westward, where a cafe pavilion and outdoor terrace mark the entrance to the site. At the opposite end, the courtyard leads to an elevated grass platform, which in turn climbs up by a series of ramps and stairs to the former estate and garden, giving access through a narrow gate to the Carlos Ramos Pavilion. Set at the apex of the estate, this simple two-story structure is a succinct summary of the courtyard plan - a U-shaped classroom building with its two wings converging at a sharp angle. While its exterior facades are blind, the large pivoting windows facing the interior courtyard allow complete transparency between the classrooms on either side of the building, and views beyond to the garden and river.

The materials used in the interior of the more recent addition include exotic wood for the floors and wainscots, marble in the foyers and stairs, specially-designed furniture for the classrooms, auditorium and library, and skylights which draw natural light into the main spaces.

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The Portuguese National Pavilion is a prestigious landmark building designed by Alvaro Siza to host Expo 98 - the world's largest trade fair. Siza's shell-like design also served to introduce the 'ocean & world heritage' theme of the event and to represent the culture of the host country.

Appointed for the concept and scheme design, Arup provided: structural, mechanical, electrical, and geotechnical engineering; fire safety and lighting design; and specialist acoustic advice.

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The pavilion consists of two exhibition areas, one housing main exhibitions, the second providing a large outdoor space for national displays. The most iconic feature of the pavilion however, is a thin, curved concrete sail which creates a canopy over the ceremonial plaza.

Cables supporting the canopy require enormous tension, provided by a series of 14m high fin-like walls which form porticos on either side of the plaza.

As Lisbon is an area of high sismic activity, the canopy and the building are completely separate, each with its own structural support system.

At the time of construction, the National Pavilion was Lisbon's largest urban regeneration project since rebuilding the city in the aftermath of an earthquake and tidal wave which ravaged the city in 1775.

A Pavilion in Korea

February 2005: the invitation, sudden and urgent. A small city of 300,000 inhabitants had launched a project for a cultural complex right in front of a natural park, wedged in amongst beautiful mountains. A multifunctional pavilion was needed as a complementary, but central element. Álvaro Siza's name was mentioned and the invitation was answered, in person, in Porto.

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March 2005: This was an urgent matter and I immediately went to the site, to look around, take note, and bring back the necessary bases for an architect's work, as the theme was sober: a multifunctional space, a small, possibly multifunctional office, perhaps for the police, and toilets for those who walk the park's paths as well as for those who remain around the square or go to the local restaurants. Jun, a Korean architect who studied abroad, interned in Porto, and who is now based in Seoul has been a friend of mine for 20 years, and was waiting for me upon arrival. Our friendship and profession would establish the necessary connection. Arriving at the site, the urgency is present, the urgency of the urgency is present, because that is the way the country is, like its people and lifestyle. There is time to decide, but after decision comes the urgency. There is great euphoria at APAP 2005 - Anyang Public Art Project 2005. Many artists and a few architects have already confirmed it. There is some concern. Can so many guests of so many nationalities comprehend the urgency? Calmly, we gather elements, take photographs, solicit detailed plans, search for documentation, search for architectural precedents, most of it destroyed in the wars, for current architecture of merit….our friends help and point things out.

The site is an open space, shorn from the mountain, a square to be created. There are already compromises, perhaps they can be coordinated, even eliminated, we shall see. Back in Porto and the West. I try to transmit the experience, way of life, flavours and foundations of the work. Siza receives, perceives, questions and interprets like no other. From the first work session, a few timid, interpretive blueprints are made. The second session, supported by a model of the site, is more approximate, form becomes form, content in search of a programme. Other sessions follow, primarily on Saturdays and Sundays. The atmosphere is excellent. Models are built, scale is increased, the blueprints require alterations of the plans, models and 3Ds. It is necessary to return to Korea and present the project to the client.

July 2005: upon arrival, we are informed that the presentation is at 4:00pm. At four o'clock the meeting begins: the mayor, necessary council members, directors and as well as technicians, local architects and guests. Brief presentation of Álvaro Siza's work, presentation of the proposal, some translation, intelligent questions, necessity of increasing the number of toilets, nothing that prevents the formal approval of the proposal, carrying out the necessary, requested alterations. Expression of thanks for the quality of the work, but also the urgent press for time. It is time to start construction, it's urgent, and the snow…Seven o'clock, confirmation dinner to express satisfaction with the project, its acceptance and official approval. Back home, the process, though identical, is another, as we have proceeded to the execution phase. Adaptations to small alterations in the project, to the forms, and the form to the project. The designs acquire scale, rigour, but always follow the blueprint and the blueprint follows the rigour of execution. Construction starts and the designs continue. The Net permits the exchange of information, but also allows you to see the work progress despite the distance. Despite the urgency, the pleasure at seeing the work advance forward, unrestrained by bureaucracy, provides pleasure, because ours is a different reality.

November 2005: back again for the opening of the park and to visit the construction site. An entire, rough volume of grey almost white concrete intuits the light. An exquisite execution born of urgency. The site was made for the volume and the volume rises from the site. Of the remainder of the square, little could be saved, we are left with our half. The Parque , fair of the vanities, is pleasing…; displeasing, the capacity of implementation amazes me. Very little is ok, much is of a temporary nature, even disposable. What is good will remain, time will not be merciful. Infrastructures, M & E services, finishings, materials, preparations for the next phase are discussed. In Porto, the final design is being followed up with our support almost in real time.

July 2006: back again, a great surprise, despite the exchange of photos. Entering the finished space is sublime, as is the light. Not at all static, when we move, the space sings, as Siza would say. It is introverted when required, extroverted in its perspectives, in its passages, in the volumetry of the form and materials. The client and the city respectfully ask and the pavilion takes the name of Anyang - Álvaro Siza Hall. Already in use, the inauguration is just around the corner.

Carlos Castanheira, architect.

The Armanda Passos House
Álvaro Siza

The Interiorized House

Amidst horizontal and vertical planes conditioned by the contours of the terrain, memories of Zen gardens and fire signs, the Armanda Passos house has gently risen - the most recent project by Álvaro Siza in Porto.

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Designed to be lived in at all hours of the day, when light seeks out shade, and shade opens itself to the light, the house-atelier, commissioned by painter Armanda Passos from the most international name in Portuguese architecture, allows the complicity naturally created by the architect with his work to transpire at each step. This is the second dwelling designed by Siza in Porto. The first was built in the 1960's on the Avenida dos Combatentes. Between project and construction, via the city council approval process, three years passed (2002-2005). The project included the demolition of the existing house and the construction of three volumes, interlinked and joined in a way that defines two patio-gardens, interspersed by existing trees. There is even a wide garden between the border wall of the avenue's pavement and the front of the building. Additional trees were planted. It is claimed that they establish a bridge between East and West. In an interview with Arquitectura & Construção, Álvaro Siza discusses the completed project:

The Armanda Passos house was built for a friend…
Now she is, at the time we did not have such a close friendship. Afterwards we did, because the building of a home is a great story.

How did you face the challenge?
She is sensitive person with a great attachment to the house and I created, in a special way, not only comfort but also the whole aspect of association with the garden, intimacy, quality of light, etc. It is very pleasing for an architect to have a client that has these requirements in terms of quality.

What about the project?
The project assigned to me includes a residential part with a multifunctional living room that can be projected/extended from a stage that can be raised to varying elevations. The residence and the multifunctional living room are interconnected by a transitional space: an atrium. After that there is an atelier with Northern exposure.

The roof of the atelier has two gradients like in old factories and warehouses, which give it a special light….
Exactly. The so-called shade? It has a high, northern light.

In the interior, you experimented a lot with different volumes…
The ground area is small and I wanted to take as much advantage of the garden as possible in order to avoid creating an isolated mass. As there were three functionally well-defined parts to the project, two of which were connected and one which could function independently, I used this to organise the patios. There is a patio between the multifunctional living room and the residence to the west; there is another next to the driveway; and there is a space in front of the multifunctional living room, between it and a transitional wall that stands between the street and the front of the house. So there are three quite differentiated spaces.

The house is slightly lower than its neighbours. Was this intentional?
All of the neighbouring houses have two floors. In this one, the part most visible from the street is only one storey, though it is taller than average. It is intentional because it was possible to connect the three volumes and thus create patios on all three sides. The two-storey volume and the taller volume, because of the shades, are in the back. The fact that there is an open space in front and on the two sides allowed for the planting of trees and the creation of a certain intimacy in the exterior areas of the lot. As the neighbouring houses are two-storey, if this one were as well, it would feel narrow. In this way, a sensation of generous, roomy interior space is possible.

At the same time, the house contains elements characteristic of the 1950's -such as the brises-soleil- as well as presenting an eastern spirit. There's an understanding here between East and West…
There is no doubt that in traditional Japanese architecture -as beautiful as it is- there is this concern. An articulation exists that organizes well-defined exterior spaces -the patios- and allows for quite significant communication that at the same time is intimate with the interior. The famous Zen gardens of Osaka are articulate constructions that connect and depart from the geometric spaces where they create marvellous garden compositions. In this case, the way in which the garden is laid out is not related to the Zen gardens, but a feeling of intimacy exists. As the house does not contain too much glass, it benefits from the communication between the interior and exterior in the large windows that frame these exterior spaces.

The brises-soleil repel the light and cast a shadow on the ground like an architectural memory. The gutters also mark the limits of the brises-soleil on the ground.
The brises-soleil are there to provide protection from the sun and the heat and also create a transition between the interior and exterior.

At a certain point, the volumes almost touch at certain angles…
Yes. The bodies of the atelier together with the veranda and the residence's brise-soleil almost touch. They are three well-defined structures, but are intended to form a whole. Hence the proximity of elements of one structure with another to establish transitional spaces and unify the ensemble.

There are details that are almost indicative of elements. One recalls an outline of the veranda that functions like an arrow pointing out a tree or a detail of the wall. Thus, the architecture itself follows a path…
It follows the treatment of the garden. The areas where the trees and bushes are planted are based on providing solar protection. For example, the west-facing multifunctional living room window has a brise-soleil. First of all, because the brise-soleil protects the window from the south when the sun is high in the sky. When the sun is low, it doesn't help so much. Other systems have to be used, like the brise-soleil. When the sun sets, even the neighbouring house provides significant protection. Where the sun could enter diagonally and create discomfort during the summer, an evergreen tree was planted. Next to the window sash of the large window on the western side of the multifunctional living room, there is a deciduous tree because in the winter the house is more comfortable with direct sunlight. During the warm season the house is shaded.

Is it a four-season home?
Yes, it is. These are elementary things that both spontaneous and erudite architecture have always used in the mutual relationship between nature and man-made construction.

At the top of the stairs, the light that enters through the skylight signals the steps as if showing the way. It is a repeating gesture…
I don't really like violent light and curtains are necessary, but I also like it when a house can stand completely open, when there are transparencies. Controlling light is not only done through curtains, but also through brises-soleil which break the intensity of the light and the location and orientation of the windows themselves, the end goal being thermal comfort. Metering light intensity was something that old houses did, particularly those in the south, of Arab tradition. Patios with very intense light, porticos that create a transition to the interior, then more broken light and even shady areas -they are necessary for comfort.

Your houses have this tradition…
I don't recall having designed an entirely glass house. Not only because of comfort and to not have to resort to mechanical means, but because I think a house needs to contain different environments. Some are more relaxing and serene, others are more extroverted. A house is made up of these variations. It is apparently simple because many things take place inside a home.

In the interior of the atelier, the light from the shades almost give one a sense of looking through the windows of a cathedral with a rising light….
The intention was not to create a religious environment, but, as the house belongs to a painter, special care is needed with the light in order to create good conditions for painting as well as maintenance. Not too long ago, Armanda Passos contacted me, because, although the shades face north, in the summer there is an hour when the sun enters. Not only can it be bothersome, it can damage the paintings, and therefore we are going to install outdoor blinds so that during these few days, the rays are blocked.

The atelier's windows give the illusion that they can be pulled down. Almost opening the entire sky…
That doesn't happen in this case. The windows run all the way to the floor, but they have panes that open. The larger parts are sliding doors and in certain cases move as one piece. There is no crossbar. It is an entire piece of glass that runs inside the wall.

In general, the window and door planes are well defined. Some open broadly, others narrowly. As if you were playing with the volumes in a harmonic game…
It's a game that requires great effort [laughs], but there is a dimension of pleasure in this effort because the possibility of working for someone who asks for and demands quality is not frequent -whether it is a public or private work.

Everything has been geared toward the client…
Yes, she was extremely demanding with regards to the quality of the construction -which is very good. It's not enough for the architect to demand quality in construction. The person paying for the building who demands quality has a different impact. Often, who's paying is not so interested in quality. This demand for quality is considered to be the whim of an annoying architect.

Do the lateral walls that separate the house from its neighbours have different heights for security?
Yes. The walls were utilised. On one of the sides the wall was raised and the neighbours did not raise any problems. The other side was not even touched.

What materials were used for the house?
It's traditional from a materials point of view. The walls and outer shell are reinforced concrete. In my experience, it is very difficult to mix materials. Any minor error during installation can lead to the appearance of cracks. All of the houses I've done in reinforced concrete are in excellent shape. Even the one I did in the 1960's is concrete and it has never had any problems with cracks, moisture, etc. The supporting wall is in reinforced concrete that is duplicated outside with a wall in stuccoed brick. Between the two is a ventilation space containing thermal isolation material. This means the wall is 45cm thick, including inner and outer stucco. The advantages are the isolation. On the exterior, besides the stucco, there is a granite groove to guard against ground moisture. Most of the periphery contains a coarse gravel band with a drain underneath, precisely so moisture does not affect the stucco.

And with regard to the wood used?
All the wood is painted, the interior and exterior frames, except for the flooring, which is of restored old Scots pine, and the stairs. In areas with water, marble was installed. The kitchen was especially designed for the house, although today it is in production at the factory that built it. Countertops are in marble. The rest is lacquered wood.

Are the window frames made of wood?
Yes. The outer part has an aluminium panel that holds the glass in place and also protects the paint. It's Iroko wood, treated so that it can handle the paint.

What are the roofing materials?
Earth and vegetation. It is a flat roof in waterproofed concrete and immediately on top is a 40cm layer of soil for the grass.

And the roof of the atelier?
It's covered with zinc.

The shades provide a very large movement to the entire roof…
Yes, they increase slightly from front to back so that it gently conforms with the street. The house almost goes unnoticed. The recessed part contains two floors. The atelier has higher ceilings because Armanda builds large canvases and really needs the space and breathing room. All of this takes place in the back, cut off by the trees. So, it's not an exhibitionistic house. It's more interiorized.

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New Iberê Camargo Foundation headquarters open its doors

The new building of the Iberê Camargo Foundation is sited in a narrow plot, nearby the Guaíba River. The museum is mainly defined by its vertical volume where the exhibition rooms are located, from which are raised suspended, undulating arms in white concrete - somewhat resonant of the iconic concrete reveries of Lina Bo Bardi. This is the first project by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza built in Brazilian territory and was honoured by the Venice Architecture Biennale with the Golden Lion award in 2002.

A large exhibit of work by the painter Iberê Camargo, displayed in the building's nine art galleries, marks Porto Alegre's inauguration of the first project by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza in Brazil

The Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza returned to Porto Alegre on the beginning of this year for one of his final visits to his first building designed in Brazil, which will house more than half a century's output of paintings, drawings, gouaches and prints by Iberê Camargo, who is considered to be one of Brazil's most important artists of the 20th century.

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The architect was in the state capital to concern himself in the final details of the project, such as the development and production of the building's furnishings, which he has also designed. The Portuguese architect is meticulous about every detail of the building, believing that harmony is fundamental in a work. “Although each detail is important, the governing feature is the totality. Equilibrium is the underlying quality for architecture,” he says.

The new Iberê Camargo Foundation headquarters opens in the end of may and is intended to preserve the collection of more than four thousand works by the master of Brazilian expressionism and to be a major center for discussion, research and exhibition of modern and contemporary art, placing Porto Alegre and Brazil on the route of the world's major centers of culture.

In 2002, The project won the biggest international architecture prize - The Golden Lion Award - at the 2003 Venice Architecture Biennial. The maquette toured to the main state capitals in Brazil, together with a touring exhibition of Iberê's work in 2003 -2004. It has also been to the Milan Triennale at the Museum of Fine Art in Bordeaux, and is included in a touring exhibition of Álvaro Siza's work which is traveling the world.

Construction budget of the new headquarters for the Iberê Camargo Foundation, whose president is Jorge Gerdau Johannpeter, is 30 million reais. Building started in July 2003 on a 8,250-m2 site facing the Guaíba (Av. Padre Cacique 2,000 donated by the city council and sponsored by Grupo Gerdau, Petrobras, RGE, Vonpar, Itaú, De Lage Landen and Instituto Camargo Correa. RGE, Grupo Gerdau, Petrobras, Camargo Correa, De Lage Landen and Vonpar. Building is following a precise schedule, which concludes with the opening of the headquarters, forecast for November 2007, and a major exhibition of the painter, who is recognized as one of the major Brazilian artists of the 20th century.

The building will put Porto Alegre on the map of important centers of modern and contemporary art in the country. It has nine exhibition rooms, spread across the three upper floors. The main access level will house the reception, café, cloakrooms, cultural shop and a massive atrium which will provide views of the upper floors and will also be used for exhibitions.

The basement area contains all the building infrastructure, including parking for 100 vehicles, a 125-seater auditorium with cinema facilities, Iberê's print studio and rooms for courses and workshops. It will also contain a reference, research and information center for the huge collection of 4,000 of the artist's works, with a specialized library, database, video library and reading room, intended for national and international researchers and publishing work.

The basement also contains the utilities area and the technical reserve, used for housing the air-conditioning system and the sewer treatment network. Access to the car park is through an underpass beneath Avenida Padre Cacique, connecting both sides of the road to facilitate visitor entry and exit. All the entrances to the new Iberê Camargo Foundation headquarters also meet the requirements of people with special needs. Ramps and elevators have been designed to offer ease of access from garage level upwards.

Innovative technology and ecological trails

The building for the new Iberê Camargo Foundation headquarters is an international landmark in architecture and engineering solutions. One of the design's innovative features is its reinforced-concrete construction throughout, without the use of bricks or sealing elements, forming curved outlines like a great sculpture to feature the form and movement of the ramps built on all floors. It is the only building in the country to be built entirely from white concrete, which dispenses with painting and finishing and also brings it a feeling of lightness. All the power and service ducts are inside the walls, insulated with fiberglass, allowing the installation of permanent or temporary dimmable sockets and lighting anywhere in the rooms.

Indoor temperature and humidity are managed by an intelligent monitoring control to ensure protection of the collection. The air-conditioning system will produce ice at night, when electricity costs are lower, for cooling the space during the day, reducing operational costs.

The design devotes special attention to the environment. A sewage treatment station will treat all the solid and liquid waste on site. The treated water from this process will be used for irrigating the surrounding green space. In partnership with the Gaia Foundation, special care is being given to the 16,000-m2 native forest behind the building. A 200-meter path has been defined in the forest to allow visitors to link art with nature.

Álvaro Siza, an international reference

Álvaro Siza is one of the most important contemporary architects in the world, with work in several different countries. His designs include the Museu Serralves in Oporto, and the Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea, in Santiago de Compostela. The new Iberê Camargo Foundation Headquarters will be his first project in Brazil. Siza was chosen after consultation which considered the innovative nature of the architectural plan and the international standing of its architect.

The architect is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Science and Honorary Fellow of Royal Institute of British Architects, the Academie d´Architecture de France and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He won the Pritzker Award, from the Hyatt Foundation in Chicago, considered the Nobel of the arts, in 1992, for his oeuvre. Siza has played an active role in the most important architectural works in the world, including the Barcelona Olympiad and Expo 98 in Lisbon. He was part of the team that restored the Chiado, the old part of Lisbon attacked by fire.

More about the project

The project won the biggest international architecture prize - The Golden Lion Award - at the 2003 Venice Architecture Biennial. The maquette toured to the main state capitals in Brazil, together with a touring exhibition of Iberê's work in 2003 -2004. It has also been to the Milan Triennale at the Museum of Fine Art in Bordeaux, and is included in a touring exhibition of Álvaro Siza's work which is traveling the world.

30,000 cubic meters of earth were excavated and donated to the Municipal Highway Works Department (SMOV) to be used for paving the city's poorer settlements.

Excavation was carried out without using explosives. In partnership with the a Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), a splitting plan was found in which the rocks were broken down, allowing them to be removed with pneumatic equipment. This enabled the builder, Camargo Corrêa to complete the predicted 12-month process of earth removal four months early.

There has been considerable concern with the surroundings since the start, and the Iberê Camargo Foundation has therefore proposed to correct the distorted bend in the Avenida Padre Cacique to increase road safety near the site.

Construction is generating 100 direct and 200 indirect jobs.

The project has been visited by more than 3000 architecture and engineering students from the whole country.

The building saves 30% to 40% more energy than conventional buildings.

Chronology:

1995 - Creation of the Iberê Camargo Foundation

1996 - SIte for building the new Foundation headquarters donated by the Rio Grande do Sul government

1998/June - Selection of the architect

2000/May - First site visit by the architect, Álvaro Siza

2001/November - Approval of viability study by Porto Alegre City Council

2002/June - Laying the Foundation Stone

2002/September - Design wins the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Architecture Biennial

2003/July- Building commences

- Sponsorship signed with Camargo Corrêa

2003/December - Sponsorship signed with Petrobras

2004/February - Sponsorship signed with Vonpar

2004/March - Sponsorship signed with RGE

2004/December - Conclusion of Phase 1 - Underground Area

2005/Outubro - Conclusion of Phase 2 - Concrete Structure

2 half of 2007 - Conclusion of Phase 3  and inauguration - Finishing, thermal insulation, electrical, plumbing and complementary installations, decoration and furnishing

1 half of 2008 - Finishing and furnishing

Construction phases:

Phase 1 (basement): Infrastructure: car park, auditorium, print studio, rooms for courses and workshops, documentation and research center, utilities area and technical reserve.

Phase 2: nine exhibition rooms, atrium, reception, café, cloakroom, cultural shop

Phase 3 (final): Finishing, thermal insulation electrical, plumbing and complementary installations, decoration and furnishing

Inauguration:  End of may 2008

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Alvaro Siza's world-class sports centre in Barcelona is a model of urban planning.

The new Llobregat Sports Centre in the Barcelona suburb of Cornella is an example of what could be achieved. Designed by Alvaro Siza, the 40,000sq m sports centre is part of a larger sports park development which will include a new stadium for Barcelona's “other” football club, Espanyol. The site was a flat rectangle of empty land between the dense streets of the post-war suburb to the north and Barcelona's ring road to the south. Access roads separate it from a school to the west and playing fields to the east.

The building is set back from the built-up urban edge and made up of a distinct group of large interlocking volumes of white concrete which express the primary programmes within: a rectangular box for the 2,500-seat sports hall, an oval drum for the swimming pool and a long bar for the ancillary facilities. From a distance the ridge of hills that keeps Barcelona's sprawling suburbs pressed against the sea and gives the city much of its topographical character emerge above the buildings. The scarred concrete profile of the sports hall fits effortlessly into the tableau with the line of tree-covered outcrops on the horizon.

Two ramps, each the size of a town square, rise up from the car park and meet at an entrance 4m above the ground. The stilted curves and monolithic materiality of the sports hall disassociate it from other big out-of-town sheds and evoke memories of landforms, while the ramps imply that you have to climb some pre-existing terrain before you can enter the building. These gestures begin to detach you from the reality of the building's lacklustre surroundings, a process that continues inside to become the main ordering force of the building.

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The detailing is sparse, almost nonexistent. The walls are in-situ concrete cast with not quite square panels of smooth formwork. Siza specified that the finished concrete should not be made good in any way so there are already streaks of staining and a patchwork effect where the concrete has cured differently behind each board.

Moving inside, you enter an amazing space 100m long, L-shaped in section. The scale is intimate and you are suddenly aware of subtle differences between being here or there in the larger volume. The interior is precisely formed around human movement and perception.

The circulation area is stark but beautifully lit by precisely positioned openings. Once away from the entrance there are no views back out except at the far end where you are offered a glimpse of the outdoor pool below. Two skylights cut into the ceiling and fill the southern end with a soft glow, drawing you down towards the swimming pool entrance and introducing an other-worldly element to the architectural promenade. Later, when you head back to the entrance to leave, a high-level window frames a view of the rooftops of Cornella as if to wake you gently and remind you to where you are about to return.

Deep thresholds separate the sports hall and swimming pool from the circulation space. At the swimming pool entrance, instead of just a row of doors, a kind of anti-space has been made with two curving walls, not as a distinct room but as a distortion of the circulation space, as if the space itself has been morphed around. An event such as this looks naive on a plan but the reality of the experience only induces awe at Siza's masterful judgment of precisely where to introduce light, how much to curve a wall, when to step a ceiling.

The poor swimmers and athletes miss most of this and descend a staircase behind the reception desk to the changing rooms below via a more conventional long corridor. Above the circulation area the exercise rooms are arranged in a line and all are naturally lit by conventional windows, skylights or borrowed light from the circulation space. Their ceilings are sculpted with plasterboard to hide artificial light sources.

Siza's ubiquitous tool, the dado, appears inside the building, although in a less playful mood than usual, and in grey paint rather than stone. It has a constant level in each space and is the same colour as the floor, as if the room has been filled with paint to a given level and then drained. The level varies slightly between spaces to fine-tune the visual perception of each space.

The sports hall roof is a space-frame, the only expressed structure anywhere in the building. The swimming pool by contrast has a shallow elliptical concrete dome roof with 62 circular rooflights. When the sun shines, spots of sunlight reflect off the water and walls like a glitterball in a 1950s dance hall. A ramp descends around one side of the ellipse for spectators to watch events in the pool.

On the ramp, your eye level is roughly at mid-height in the space so the spots of light on the water mirror the rooflights above, like in Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion where the ceiling height is set so that the eye is at mid-height, setting up a horizontal symmetry that works with the reflective materials to dissolve spatial boundaries. The same idea recurs in several places, in the sports hall where you enter at the top of the seating rake and in the circulation corridor where the ceiling height drops near the pool entrance.

The indoor and outdoor pools are linked in an irregular-shaped plan, like a rubber duck, a similarity I wouldn't be surprised to learn was intentional. Where they join, glass doors can be dropped down from inside the wall like a portcullis to separate them. The curving edge flows through like a meandering river.

Outside, you discover a hidden oasis of curving forms. The pool's edges swerve and turn while the water reflects the arching sports hall roof and the clouds overhead.

An arc of wall and roof close the pool area off to the south and provide a crescent of shade from the summer sun. The scale of the arc increases as it sweeps up and round to meet the drum of the indoor pool.

At one end of the canopy, where the cantilevered roof is at its widest, a support has been inserted. Instead of a simple column, a slender cylindrical shaft emerges from a more massive abstract volume just like Le Corbusier's column in the east porch at Ronchamp, a typical Siza mannerist reinterpretation from the modern architectural library. To point out such an obvious quote is to fall into his trap, deliberately daring you to doubt his ability and simultaneously exhibiting his effortless handling of form, meaning and memory.