On occasion of the commemoration of Álvaro Siza’s 91 anniversary, Docomomo Portugal records the tribute to him held by CICA (International Committee of Architectural Critics) at the Serralves Foundation last 6th May 2024.

The tribute counted with the presence of Álvaro Siza and Wilfried Wang (president of CICA), and Ana Tostões (CICA member and president of AICA_PT – International Association of Art Critics, Portugal, and Docomomo Portugal president) as well as Alejandro Aravena (Pritzker Prize 2016 and actual president of the Pritzker Prize jury).

The event was introduced by ⁠Wilfried Wang, followed by a conversation with Ana Tostões, where Álvaro Siza talked about his favorite project in order to answer the questions: Should a building be a world in itself? Or should it relate to its context? Do the best buildings achieve both: create their own order and language, while dialoguing with and shaping their surroundings?

Following the International Conferences On the Duty and the Power of Architectural Criticism (2021), Defining Architectural Quality (2022) and Architecture as Built Criticism (2023), the 2024 conference seeks to recognize Álvaro Siza and Denise Scott Bown’s contributions, “Between Autonomy and Engagement”.

This tribute to Álvaro Siza, was also part of the parallel program curated by architect António Choupina for the exhibition C.A.S.A. (Álvaro Siza Collection, Archive), present at the Serralves Foundation.

More about the event on the Serralves Foundation’s website: here. Also photos are on its social media, namely instagram

More on CICA’s initiatives and the coming conference on its website