Influence of Modern Architecture in Alvaro Siza's Oeuvre

This essay discusses the influence of modern architecture in the oeuvre of Alvaro Siza, focusing on the works of Alvar Aalto, Adolf Loos, and Le Corbusier. It explores how modern materials and functionalism shaped Siza's architectural style.

ASSIGNMENT
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TABLE OF CONTENT
ESSAY.............................................................................................................................................3
Discuss the influence of modern architecture in the oeuvre of Alvaro Siza by describing the
role played by the works of Alvar Aalto, Adolf Loos and Le Corbusier in his projects.............3
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12
ILLUSTRATION INDEX
Illustration 1: Yonsei School of Business........................................................................................4
Illustration 2: New Hell's Kitchen Project.......................................................................................5
Illustration 3: New Orleans..............................................................................................................6
Illustration 4: American Bar Vienna................................................................................................7
Illustration 5: Prague city museum..................................................................................................8
Illustration 6: Casa Stein..................................................................................................................9
Illustration 7: Holman House
(Source: Lyon, 2017).....................................................................................................................10
Illustration 8: Villa Savoie.............................................................................................................11
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ESSAY
Discuss the influence of modern architecture in the oeuvre of Alvaro Siza by describing the role
played by the works of Alvar Aalto, Adolf Loos and Le Corbusier in his projects
Modernisation has however played a greater role in the context of architecture where it
has significantly come up with a contemporary tact of architecture. Herein, it is also termed as
modern architecture with an emerging state in most of the Western nations after World War I. It
is mainly referred to be a new architectural style with a rationalised context of International style
of architecture that firstly came into existence during the phase of 20th century (Flaxman and et.
al., 2014). It is however based upon a prime consideration of making a rationalised usage of
modern materials that further uses the concept of functionalism with some intact principles of
functionalist. As a result to which, it hereby tends to reject the historical decorations to represent
a modernised appellation of international style to accompany the tact of modern architecture.
It is however in context to a leading fact where such modern concept of architecture
named International architecture has vitally impacted upon some customary artists in this field. It
is with a foremost existence of a Portugal architect named Alvaro Siza who is highly inspired
from this tact of modernisation in architecture and is now famously known for his modern piece
of art in the constructed buildings designed by him. He is together referred to be one of the
greatest talent in this field of architecture where his work can be found all over the globe such as
in Portugal, Europe and China, etc. Also, his work is specified to be a series of experimentation
that is greatly influenced by some leading number of architects namely Alvar Alto, Adolf Loos
and Le Corbusier, etc.
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Presently, being at an age of 83, he is profoundly recognised for being awarded with
Pritzker prize, UIA and Royal gold medals, etc. He is referred to be the world’s most
embellished architect with a prompt recognition of being a trendy figure in this contemporary era
of architecture (Turner, 2014). Hence, he is also known as an early Modernist whose work is
recognised as an art of “poetic modernism” in terms of architecture. It is after winning Pritzker
Prize in the year 1992; the jury awarded him having cited him to be an early modernist whose
shapes are duly moulded by light and reflects an illusory simplicity with honest reflection in
those.
Later, he got awarded from RIBA and AIA Gold Medal along with Golden Lion for
lifetime attainment and this continued with some more honours. It is where Alvaro Siza is unlike
several high profile architects who use to have a huge team with enormous members to work on
a single project (Wang and et. al., 2014). However, Siza with a contradictory outlook have
always kept a small team with less number of individuals in it. It is however with a major
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Illustration 1: Yonsei School of Business
(Source: Jones, 2015)

consideration of making a close supervision of all its small to big projects where he himself
believes to oversee the creativity in it.
Beside this, he is also not referred to possess an official website and other such computer
aided measures to serve their customers and still prefers to draw the designs on boards by
himself. Also, he makes a detailed prediction of all undertaken projects as a way of resolving any
pertaining issues in it and resolves it on own with not much burden on his respective team
members (Gold, 2013). It is mainly in accordance to a bestowed statement of Siza, where he
strongly believes emotion to be the most requisite tool in architecture to meet out the factual
preferences of clients and users. In concord to which, it is believed that any person who is
referring to take part in an act is required to do it in a devotional manner. In context to which,
possessing a sincere feeling towards its completion is the most imperative concern that
ultimately helps the individual to attain a targeted set of goal.
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Illustration 2: New Hell's Kitchen Project
(Source: Chapman and Roberts, 2014)

Though, he hardly considers his projects to be finished where he is always attempting to
go on with more and more accomplished missions. Siza has thereby trampled a think line in
between the concept of modernity and tradition where they are required to go hand in hand as per
his own undertaken approach (Karlsson, Wadsö and Öberg, 2013). These terminologies are
together entitled as machine age technology and an age old craftsmanship where he together
emphasized upon another prime requisition of keeping calm with an immense level of patience.
Also, he firstly prefers to dream about a building that he is going to design as a way of detailing
it. As a result to which, he clearly rejects the idea of designing buildings in Dubai where their
buildings are simply rushed out with no patience at all.
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Illustration 3: New Orleans
(Source: Lanzara, de Vaujany, Mitev and Mukherjee, 2016)

However, the art of designing requires the architect love his exertion with a pleasurable
sense of endeavouring for it. Also, he declares it to be a mere context of owing and running a
business with no passionate sense towards it where it often tends to give an annoyed sense of
work (Marion, Meyer and Barczak, 2015). It is also stated by him that it is hard in today’s
contemporary era of architecture to see such enthusiastic architects where he too had a real sense
of pleasure when he last built the Iberia Camargo museum in Brazil. It is thereby envisioned that
modern architecture has barely influenced such spectacular work of Alvaro Siza where he is
enduring with a balanced state of work as a way of reflecting his artistic craftsmanship that still
tends to draw the attention of numerous observers.
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Illustration 4: American Bar Vienna
(Source: Acer, 2016)

It is however on discoursing upon the contributed work of Alvar Alto into projects of
Alvaro Siza where they together received training during 1950's. Alvar Alto is basically a
Finnish architect with best understanding about a balanced concept of cultural modernity. In an
interview conducted in the year 1998, Siza spoked about Alto that he is mostly focussed in the
intrinsic substance of his architecture rather than its extraneous forms (Habibi and De Meulder,
2015). Siza refers Aalto as a designer whose accepted skilfulness is inevitably based upon a
concrete abstractive background. Siza hereby contradicts the idea to this drawing of this designer
to be the only lawful way of a disciplined contemplation and aspects in the field of architecture.
However, Siza has together pointed out the most relevant contributions made by Aalto in his
work that comprised with worthy methods proposed to develop the project. In alternative to this,
both Aalto and Siza are referred to adopt a prompt attitude of lasting uncertainty towards the
worldwide theoretical construction that might incorporate all debatable dimensions of their
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Illustration 5: Prague city museum
(Source: Chiu, Niskanen and Song, 2017)

project. They have together proposed a fractional and biased formulation to the problematic
themes of architecture along with the appraisal of their project's methodological aspect.
Another supreme contributor in the projects of Alvaro Siza is Adolf Loos who played a
substantial role in the contemporary movement of architecture. Herein, his influence was greatly
based upon varied interior designs after which, he was famously recognised as a residential
designer (Lundar, Grønli and Ghinea, 2013). It is therefore stated that Adolf Loos has played a
crucial role in exposing the international style of architecture. Where, his artistry can be clearly
recognised from plain frontage with unadorned crosswise windows and open plans. Along with
which, his reflected ideas of white coloured walls and flat roofs soon awakened resistance where
his style tend to attain popularity among the young architects of the present generation.
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Illustration 6: Casa Stein
(Source: Emanuel, 2016)

There together exists another world famous architecture named Le Corbusier who is also
known as the father of international style in the field of architecture where he is clearly referred
to be a foremost tag of modern architecture. It is where the initial work of Le Corbusier consisted
of smooth structures composed of white concrete and glassy buildings raised over the land called
“pure prisms” (Picon, 2013). Later in the year 1940's, he turned towards a fresh mode called
New Brutalism that was done by using rough and heavy forms of rock by together involving
concrete plasters and glass. Another major contribution of Le Corbusier was in planning an
urbanised city as an incredible where he tried to discover newer courses for planning homes by
together introducing the people residing in congested areas within a deprived habitat. With
which, he tried to provide them a hygienic and well disciplined surrounding with a non partial
distribution of fresh air with pen spaces to freely flow in all directions.
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Illustration 7: Holman House
(Source: Lyon, 2017)

This is for instance to specify about such vital illustration of his work depicted as La
Ville Radieuse also termed as Radiant City. Where this is also referred to be an ideal city with a
brilliant distribution of spaces in distinct zones of living, relaxing and working. Herein, he
together outdated the engorged streets and paths used for sidewalks along with another prime
separation of active public squares with blowzy neighbourhoods (Adeboye, 2013). It was done
by trading them into large highways comprising with enormous buildings constructed in open
spaces. Le together made the creation of building to be more functional in nature with
interrelated spaces that greatly influenced many other leading architects like Alvaro Siza. It is
with a foremost cognition of combining the routine activities of daily life to bring them together
rather than separating them for success.
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Illustration 8: Villa Savoie
(Source: Vilen, 2015)

REFERENCES
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Aalto and Hugo Häring. Architectural Research Quarterly. 19(04). pp.334-348.
Chiu, C.Y., Niskanen, A. and Song, K., 2017. Humanizing Modern Architecture: The Role of
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Chapman, M. and Roberts, J., 2014. Industrial Organisms: Sigfried Giedion and the
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