Alvaro Siza Office, Porto, Portugal

Related person

Timothy H. Crowther (was created by)

Date

Project inception: 1993; Completion: 1997

Description

The Alvaro Siza Architecture Office is a 5-story cubist structure standing near the banks of the Douro River in Porto, Portugal. The U-shaped building opens towards the river to the west. The office, built partly in collaboration with other architects, houses Siza's architecture office and other architecture and engineering offices. Each floor contains one or two offices, and can accommodate 25 to 30 people. --- http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/sizaoffice/ The white, Modernist building is a stark contrast to the surrounding low-lying, vernacular edifices of the historic 19th c. fishing village of Porto. Interestingly, Siza "discounted any possibility of blending the new building by imitating its surroundings. The area was too important since it was between the historic center of the city and a bridge that has great significance because it was built by Eiffel in 1866." --- Pritzker Prize website, Alvar Siza 1992 Prize Laureate. Keywords: Portugal, Porto, Douro River, Alvar Siza, architecture office, cubist. Submitted by Timothy Crowther, recipient of the 2005 Whitaker Travelling Fellowship.

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