Center for Studies in Architecture and Urbanism

CEAU

Center for Studies
in Architecture and Urbanism

Piscina de Marés, Leça da Palmeira (1960-2021). Álvaro Siza Books

The books 'Sharing Memories', 'No Place is a Desert', 'Conversations' and 'Design Principles' around Álvaro Siza's Piscina de Marés are part of the FAUP project funded through the Getty Foundation's 'Keeping It Modern' initiative, as part of the UNESCO Chair "Heritage, Cities and Landscapes. Sustainable Management, Conservation, Planning and Design", awarded to the University of Porto through FAUP.

This book brings together the contributions presented at the meeting 'Sharing Memories: Piscina de Marés', which took place on September 9, 2021, organized by the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto, in partnership with the Matosinhos City Council and Casa da Arquitectura. The publication includes the testimonies of renowned national and international authors who, with different approaches, bring us their memories, experiences and reflections on contemporary architectural design.

'Nenhum Sítio é Deserto' is the exhibition catalog, curated by Teresa Cunha Ferreira and Luís Urbano, dedicated to the multiple lives of one of the most emblematic works of 20th century architecture, bringing together drawings, photographs, videos, models and objects that allow us to reconstruct a critical narrative of the design, construction and rehabilitation process of this building designed by Álvaro Siza and classified as a National Monument in 2011. Along with texts by the curators, it includes texts by Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura.

The book 'Conversations' brings together a series of conversations about Álvaro Siza's recent intervention at the Piscina de Marés (2018-2021) with different actors in the design and construction process. Through the testimonies presented, along with perspectives from international organizations (Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Getti Foundation, World Monuments Fund, Fondation Le Corbusier, Architectural Preservation Studio DPS), we could see how the rehabilitation of the bathing complex is a relevant case study in the contemporary debate on intervention in Modern heritage.

Finally, the publication 'Principles of Design', with a foreword by Professor Kenneth Frampton, reflects on Álvaro Siza's "Principles of Design", based on his own words and his extensive work. The book, edited by Teresa Cunha Ferreira, is organized in two interrelated parts: the first, on Álvaro Siza's fundamental principles as guidelines that apply to the author's body of work; the second, on the design principles of the Piscina de Marés, reveals how the former can be applied on a case-by-case basis to the unique work, permeated by a common conceptual and methodological horizon.