Docomomo Portugal is proud to share that the Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura was awarded last week the 2026 UIA Gold Medal “in recognition of a body of work defined by intelligence, restraint, and a profound sense of responsibility toward society.”
Awarded by the International Union of Architects the UIA Gold Medal and Triennial Prizes are awarded every three years in recognition of outstanding contributions to architecture worldwide. The UIA Gold Medal, established in 1984, is the highest distinction awarded by the Union to an architect or group of architects, acknowledging a sustained contribution to architecture over time, being hereby one of the highest international distinctions for architects.
The candidacy was proposed by the Portuguese Order of Architects, whose President Avelino Oliveira recognizes this distinction as: “Souto Moura é autor de uma obra maior, disruptiva e intemporal. Esta distinção de escala mundial ao Arquiteto Eduardo Souto de Moura representa não só a celebração de um arquiteto excecional, mas também o reconhecimento internacional de uma ampla produção arquitetónica que fez de Portugal um dos lugares incontornáveis da arquitetura contemporânea”.
Before the only portuguese architect awarded with the UIA Gold Medal was Álvaro Siza in 2011, thus making them both the only portuguese Pritzker Prizes and UIA Gold Medals yet in Portugal.
According to the UIA Jury:
“In a generation of extraordinarily talented architects, the decision to award this year’s International Union of Architects Gold Medal to Eduardo Souto de Moura is all the more notable. He is a giant in the company of greatness, and this medal is a fitting recognition of a body of work defined by intelligence, restraint, and a deep sense of responsibility to humanity.
For Souto de Moura, architecture has always been about defining how we live, and in his world, we live with beauty, clarity, and dignity. His work elevates the human spirit not through spectacle, but through rigour. Each building is the result of careful thought, precision, and a refusal to accept anything unnecessary. His architecture never shouts for attention, but sits quietly in the landscape, confident and composed, and it is precisely this restraint that gives it lasting emotional resonance.
The House in Bom Jesus, Braga, is a poetic ode to nature and to life itself, where the built form feels inseparable from the terrain it inhabits. This same sensitivity is present across the breadth of his work, from the Casa das Artes in Porto, where civic presence and intimacy are held in perfect balance, to monumental office buildings and towers, where scale, gravity, and proportion are handled with extraordinary control. These projects demonstrate an architect entirely at ease with complexity, yet never seduced by it.
Souto de Moura’s technical mastery matches his artistic expression. He consistently achieves the near-impossible of crafting buildings that feel effortless, inevitable, as though they could only exist in the form they take. This clarity is the result of decades of disciplined thinking, deep knowledge of construction, and an unwavering commitment to architecture as a serious cultural act.
Beyond the work itself, there is a profound generosity that defines his contribution to the discipline. The donation of his archive to the Casa da Arquitectura as a learning resource is an act that reflects a man not led by ego, but by a belief in the collective advancement of architectural knowledge. He understands architecture as something to be shared, questioned, and built upon by future generations.
Eduardo Souto de Moura is as generous as he is brilliant. His work is not a passing moment or a stylistic statement tied to a particular time. It is enduring, thoughtful, and deeply human.”
“The 2026 UIA Gold Medal recognises not only an extraordinary career but also a lasting contribution to architectural thought and practice worldwide.”
See the full notice on UIA’s website.
Notice on the Order of Architects website here (in Portuguese)
