Architect lays out beautiful legacy
The section of "Houses", as the fundamental expression of architecture, embodies Siza's early exploration in design. This section highlights his notable home designs focusing on family residences, such as the Four Houses in Matosinhos during his school years in the 1950s and the recent Dongqian Lake Club Houses in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.
The "Portuguese Revolution (s)" segment showcases Siza's pioneering social housing projects that addressed local demographic challenges through modernist architectural approaches, which laid the groundwork for his later urban planning ventures in Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands.
Li Hu, founding partner of Open Architecture and honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects, comments on Siza's approach to such architecture: "Whether designing a museum, school, private home, or low-cost socialist housing, he dedicates equal or greater care — from spatial quality to minute details like entrances, door fittings and stair details. … This, to me, reflects Siza's core spirit — a rare egalitarianism in how he views people, the world and his craft."
