Pequenas histórias aparentemente sem importância contadas por Álvaro Siza

Abstract

Álvaro Siza designs architectural projects of inestimable and undeniable value, which does not make room for critics' indifference, whose judgement renders recognition of merit to his work. Nevertheless, his working method seems hard to define, both to those who study Siza and to Siza himself, due to the unpredictability of the project solutions he develops, but also due to the challenging structure in his practice, out of what he writes and says. His speech is filled with little stories told from personal and professional experience, which allow him to illustrate complex architectural issues with a simple but subjective language. His way of communicating doesn't follow conventional molds of architectural theory and, as such, it is easily assumed that Siza has little or no theory to support his design exercise. However, just as in his architecture, nothing is accessory, as well as in his own speech, nothing seems to be. Therefore, starting from a selection of "Seemingly unimportant Little Stories told by Álvaro Siza", we explored what often seems to be ignored in his speech. From the "Little Stories", three recurring actions were found in Siza's daily life - Observing, Imagining and Comparing - through which a possible structuring of his practice is discussed in a non- obvious theory, in what may be revealing the importance that such little things in everyday life may have so as to keep the passion for architecture alive.