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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Architecture of Alvaro Siza

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The work of the Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza (1933), as it developed during the 1970's is an intriguing and dense expression of several contemporary concerns. The thesis focuses on three of Siza's works, the Antonio Carlos Siza house (1976-78), the projects for Kreuzberg commissioned by the International Building Exhibition of Berlin (1979), and the plan for the Malagueira district at Evora (1977- present). The analysis of these projects and Siza's few writings and statements is undertaken in an effort to tentatively articulate the principles which lie behind the forms of his architecture. From the analysis of specific works, two themes, thought to be central to Siza's enterprise, are identified and applied to a wider range of works. This inquiry does not provide a comprehensive account of Siza's ongoing research program. It does suggest a way of approaching the work, and provides a means of placing Siza's architecture within the context of Portuguese architectural culture and the current architectural debate.

Degree

thesis:*
Department dc:contributor.department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture.
Grantor dc:publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Year dc:date.issued
1984

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Testa, Peter
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Stanford Anderson.

Subjects

dc:subject × 1

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Language dc:language.iso
eng

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70162
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/70162

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
MIT
Base URL
dspace.mit.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Testa, Peter. The Architecture of Alvaro Siza. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1984. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70162