….Casabella 923-924 magazine..Casabella 923-924 magazine….

.... ..[Texto original em Inglês]....

The anthology of essays Imagining the Evident replicates the contents of the book Immaginare l’evidenza published by Laterza in 1998, with the addition of a text by Daniela Sá. Given Alvaro Siza’s reluctance to describe his own work, any opportunity to delve back into his writing is precious, and the care that has gone into this small book fully justifies its publication.

Italian readers may recall the preface by Vittorio Gregotti, now included as an afterword, which played a fundamental role in spreading the word on Siza’s work outside of Portugal. Thanks to Gregotti, Siza’s projects were published in Italy and then across Europe.

Over forty years later, it is not so easy to fully grasp the conditions in a finally democratic but economically depressed and culturally marginal Portugal. In Siza’s words we find almost no trace of this objectively difficult situation, because in his research the reasons of the discipline transcend material concerns. The voice we hear is that of a committed architect who tackles the challenges of the craft without ever attempting to avoid their concrete presence.

The title Professione poetica of the Quaderno of «Lotus» in 1986, with the building at Kreuzberg on the cover (his first constructed work outside of Portugal, built in 1984 in the context of the IBA program of West Berlin), unwittingly contributed – together with the above-metioned reticence – to strengthen the image of Siza as a detached ascetic. This impression is countered by his renowned ability to observe, by the care he puts into construction and – as these writings bear out – by his avoidance of rhetoric.

in Casabella 923-924, July-August 2021