cheers!
thanks.

oh yeah.

gotta love siza. he's a master.

it's a museum and the ramps connect the differnt galleries.
nice white concrete.
sweet.

I think Nicolai did an article on it a while back...

Aha! I was right.
See,
NYT

as much as i (always) love siza - and love this project - if i compare this to the subtle and quiet work of his that i've admired in the past, my reaction to this project is that it's uncharacteristically muscular and exhibitionist (museum pun intended).

q: why would siza do a project with so much bravado, sort of showing off?

a: because he can.

I love it. I agree with SW that it's not as subtle as other projects of his, but I love it. Mmmmmm...

Siza completely rocks; his writings about the study of architecture are great reading material for the young student.

What I can't get from this project: The ramps pull free of the mass of the building, but when you're on one, do you fell that sense of disengagement? It doesn't appear that there are any windows on the interior side of them.

Or am I missing something in the plans? It seems the experience of walking down those ramps would be like that of being in a closed tunnel - I want to feel that I'm on a nearly free-floating arm, like a rollercoaster.

Oh and thanks for posting, Apu!!! Nice to get a chance to talk about a building, especially one by a master.

Thanks LB, i'll have to check out his writings.

lb, i agreed with your comments on the ramps, so i looked closer at the pics above... it seems there are two tiny windows [would be nice if they're pointing to specific parts of the landscape outside] and also i can see the ramps change widths... maybe a smaller exhibit can be shown at the start? just thinking... because i agree, if not the ramps do a lot of work on the outside but as a functional space i would feel i'm taking a long sort of boring detour.

there's also a bit of a ny guggenheim feel to the inside space with the ramps, i thought. seems to me siza is winking at flw- i don't think he does anything haphazardly.

AMl,
Actually you are right.
The NYT article has an image. the windows do frame a very nice image of the beach/surrounding landscape.

a long article from Appendx (and a video) about Siza here

lb nailed it - what's the point of expensive ramps if they provide no experiential benefit?

Dunno, the Siza projects I've visited (or at least the one I can recall) also had a ramp to nowhere (literally died into a wall).


For me, he's hit and miss. Some work is amazing in its grace and simplistic (seemingly) details. But many times it looks like a great idea, but a little fumbling in the execution (kinda like some of Holl's projects - both are masters of light and materials, but their formal talent is just not as sophisticated as others).

lb,

what book/essays of siza would you recommend?

I don't quite get this one, and it seems to be an oddity in Siza's oeuvre. The major interior space is incredible, and I don't entirely object to the handles. The site-relationships are less clear to me (tectonically, I mean - there are some nice visual connections). And I'm not particularly in love with the curve where the tall mass touches the sky.

But its Siza, so I'm sure there's more to it than I have seen.

I don't know, dread - when I was a student a visiting professor handed me a pile of photocopied essays and lectures by Siza, I don't know the source. One of them was a graduation address, I recall.

I'm guessing this might be a good place to start.

gracias =D

I love the bottom photo. Check out the horizontal wood floors against the stark white. It's amazing how much design excites my mind.

meow meow meow siza meow meow!

Even vado's cat thinks the man is hot.

Btw, how does your rottie like sharing space with a feline VR?

unfortunately the rottie belongs to my niece as did my cat at one time. so they get along fine.

that long window above would look so much nicer with vado's cat napping in it

It does look like a good place to curl up.

agfa8x, you mentioned this: "The site-relationships are less clear to me (tectonically, I mean - there are some nice visual connections)."

It looks like he might have set the concept when he was working (or thinking) in that sketch at the top, with the rock-cut cliffside/hillside and the bldg backing into it... and then the actual site has the hillside not being as imposing or showing as much affinity to the building (it's grass covered, and has trees).. Maybe? I dunno...

(In any case, I do like the project a lot, too.)

There is something quite geologic to it, but you could say that about alot of Siza's work

From a recent Icon Magazine piece on the museum.
An lovely interior shot of the ramp and a window

alvaro is the first architect i fell in love with,, that was a while ago,, today, whenever i think all this is not worth it, i look at his work,, haha,, saaaaaaad, i know,,,

Funny how that is fays, i can't stand my original arch idols anymore.

i got lucky,, it did a complete circle,, alot of ppl came along the way,, whom i hate with a passion now, and in retrospect, alvaro siza remained, or took back his place, hehe,, amongst others,, but anyway,, i just got lucky

I met him in Porto in his previous smoke filled office with a buddy of mine who was also studying architecture at the time. We walk in and see him about 20 ft away and stop and we are like 'whoah, that's him!'

We continue to gawk and stand there like idiots until he says, 'its ok, you can come closer.'