Overview

The Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza (b.1933) is one of the world's most respected architects. The recipient of many awards, including the prestigious Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 1992, Siza has built and taught in Portugal and internationally since the late 1950s. This monograph is a comprehensive study of Siza's work, from his early built work - the Boa Nova Tea House, Portugal (1958-63) - to his latest projects. Siza has received critical acclaim for works in Germany (Schlesisches Tor, Berlin), Spain (Galician Centre for Contemporary Art, Santiago de Compostela), Italy (restoration of the Campo di Marte, Venice) and Portugal (Portugese Pavilion at Expo '98, Lisbon). His projects have been exhibited widely. Siza's architecture is vigorous and coherent and distinctively apt to respond to the environment without detracting from its functional and stylistic identity. Thisbook charts over 40 years of work to cover built works, projects, writings, photographs, drawings and many of Siza's sketches. An extensive introduction by Kenneth Frampton describes the works' evolution, while writings by Siza himself are interspersed throughout the volume, offering a unique personal perspective to his work and to twentieth-century architecture as a whole.

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9780714840048

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Reviews

'A mighty volume that researches and analyses the architect's work throughout his entire career...The book is sumptuous in its contents. With 620 large format pages, it unfolds the evoluation of Siza's projects, largely through drawings. The analysis by Dal Co and Frampton and a huge array of drawings collectively help to comprehend the achievements of the architect.' (Indian Architect and Builder) 'This comprehensive volume documents more than forty years of this acclaimed architect's work, featuring every one of his projects large and small...the documentation of Siza's work is so complete that even those less familiar with the details and intricacies of the design world can trace his professional evolution and development. An exceptional publication in which the buildings have been allowed to speak for themselves, and in doing so have created a pictorial history of the vision and life work of this revered architect.' (The British Bulletin of Publications on Latin America, the Caribbean, Portugal and Spain) 'This book is so comprehensive in its illustrative material that an outsider with no previous awareness of Siza's oeuvre can make fair and balanced judgements on how the architect has evolved, which buildings work, and where he has become tired ... an exceptional book.' (Times Literary Supplement) 'Frampton's massive volume must surely be the most complete collection of Siza's work assembled to date. Chronologically arranged, the elegant photography mixed with detailed plans, elevations and sections allow the reader to appreciate the architect's methods and his aims through four decades of work. The well-written introductory chapter sets Siza's work in the context of 20th century Europe with comparisons to his peers using a number of project examples. Ultimately this is a very satisfying and incredibly comprehensive book that sits nicely on the coffee table but also serves as an excellent reference volume.' (C3)

Author Information

Kenneth Frampton is an internationally respected architectural critic who holds the Ware Professorship at the Graduate School of Architecture and Planning, Columbia University, New York. He lectures extensively in the US and Europe, and has also written, edited and contributed to numerous publications on contemporary architecture. He is the author of Modern Architecture: A Critical History (1980; revised 1985 and 1992) and Studies in Tectonic Culture (1997)). His collected essays Labour, Work and Architecture are published by Phaidon.

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