A look at the contemporary environment and the resistance architecture of Álvaro Siza

Abstract

This article considers how the work of the Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza is inserted into the contemporary environment, having as the theoretical basis of reflection three literary and/or cinematographic works: the books Design with nature, by Ian McHarg (1969), The Ecological Empire or the subversion of ecology by Globalism, by Pascal Bernadin (2015), and the Documentary Urbanized (2011), by Gary Hustwit. The works’ chronological sequence emphasizes the escalating degradation suffered by the environment and how this affects human beings. The books and the film discuss contemporary problems concerning a range of issues ranging from globalization to specific cases, from urban neurosis and its disconformities with the playful experiences of childhood, from urban to rural, in a range of themes of which we will punctuate some aspects. From this approach, the Portuguese architect’s design attitude seems to be aligned with preserving pre-existing spaces, respecting the manifestations of human beings before the place, and mitigating the civilizing impacts on the natural and built environments. The article emphasizes the importance of plurality in the formation of architects and urban planners, given the need to act and deal with the complex aspects of the sociocultural weave of our days.