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JEJU HOUSE CASA JEJU Jeju Island , South Korea 2011 “Architecture is, first and foremost, the creation of a framework for the life of Man. If there is no such concern, architecture serves little purpose.” Álvaro Siza Photography by Fernando Guerra 106

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The project for this private house included tile as a coating with a purpose - that of enriching an exterior rectangular unit with subtle drawings that bring about the idea of movement. Each side has the depiction of three seagulls (or the same seagull in three different moments and movements). Used outdoors in a country of high thermal amplitude, the traditional Viúva Lamego tile was the material applied to cover the installation, demonstrating the strong resistence to climatic impacts such as extreme temperatures, solar radiation and humidity. 108

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One of the seagulls is on land, the second is flying up and the third is gliding. Three stages of movement or three different birds which supplement the reflective magic of the tile with the image of natural dynamic. 4.00m Gaivota3.pdf 1.55 Gaivota3a.pdf Gaivota1.pdf Gaivota1a.pdf 1,60m 1.30m 2.25m 1.15m Gaivota2.pdf Gaivota2a.pdf 113

PISCINA DA QUINTA DE SANTO OVÍDIO QUINTA DE SANTO OVÍDIO POOL Lousada, Portugal 2012 “We needed something that could give a vibrant atmosphere to the project. That’s when I thought of blue and yellow tile.” Álvaro Siza Photography by Duccio Malagamba 114

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“The house is a very beautiful but solemn old manor. The client wanted something that would bring lightness, joy, even restlessness to it. I was inspired by a project by Barragan in Mexico where there is a pool with exactly those colours: blue and yellow.” Álvaro Siza The use of coloured tiles to line the walls of the inside pool area on a private house was chosen by Siza to create the illusion of more organic surroundings, mimicking the colours of a beach: blue for the sky, yellow for the sand. The light that comes in through windows in the roof and one of the walls create reflections of green light in the water, making swimmers feel immersed even before diving. 117

RECEPTION HOUSE, TAIFONG GOLF COURSE Chang Hua Coun, Taiwan with Carlos Castanheira 2014 “Once Viúva Lamego showed me something so out of the ordinary and beautiful that I ended up finding a way to include it in a project - it was a silver glazed tile, which created the most incredible reflections and movement of light.” Álvaro Siza Photography by Fernando Guerra 118

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Swept away by the possibilities offered by the exclusive technology developed by Viúva Lamego, which created a glazing using colloidal platinum, Siza decided to include it in the project for the Club House which supported the Golf Course in Chang Hua Coun. These tiles were the background for a panel that faced the interior of a patio - a brilliant respite in the landscape, with delicately drawn lines symbolizing the route of two golf balls reaching the flagged hole. 121

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CAPELA DOS OSSOS CHAPEL OF BONES Évora, Portugal 2015 “It seemed irresistible to create an image that, looking at death, would depict life in contrast.” Álvaro Siza Photography: Viúva Lamego archives 126

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Álvaro Siza was invited to create a drawing for a tile panel which would integrate the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones), part of a 17th Century monument, St. Francis’ Church. Coated in bones and human skulls, the Chapel was built with the purpose of conveying messages about the transience and fragility of human life. Situated on the wall at the entrance of the Chapel, the delicacy of the tile panel designed by Álvaro Siza has the intention of providing a contrast to the surrounding baroque and macabre ambience. The images of Mary and Joseph contemplating baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph lifting baby Jesus up to the sky, offer a stark contrast with the surrounding walls covered in human bones. Death and life intertwine and coexist, transmitting a message of transience of life. “The murals are a big contrast to the rest of the space. I consider it a defense mechanism for mental health purposes. You get shocked when you arrive at the chapel and see so many bones, so many skulls and femurs.” Álvaro Siza 129

CAPELA DO MONTE CAPELA DO MONTE CHAPEL Lagos, Portugal 2018 “Simplicity is an achievement. The simple word is deceiving, in this case. Simplicity means elaboration, purification.” Álvaro Siza Photography by João Morgado 130

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A private project, commissioned by the Swiss couple who owns the estate, the tiny chapel was created to provide an experience of tranquility and peace of mind to all those who visit it. In this project, the architect returns to his favorite colour: white. The white tile without joints, an application method that highlights the material, was the choice to cover the interior baseboard of the church. The presence of a superior window inside the church causes the rays of light to reflect on the tiles, increasing the interior luminosity. Álvaro Siza does not attribute a purist meaning to the white. He believes that in order to use another colour one needs to find a reason that goes beyond subjectivity or aesthetic research. Here, white can be observed as a return home. The story of Álvaro Siza and Viúva Lamego tells a variety of challenges, formats, panels, coatings and shades that culminate in the simplicity of the white tile. 132

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Besides the interior cladding, the church contains three illustrations in the entrance, designed by the architect and materialised in tile, demonstrating once again the fidelity of the trait that the masters from Viúva Lamego are able to execute. The three small murals that adorn the walls of the chapel illustrate biblical scenes, such as the birth, baptism and death of Christ. 134

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III. VIÚVA LAMEGO - THE FACTORY Since time immemorial, man has been processing dust into clay and transforming it into ceramics to facilitate daily lives and simple processes such as transporting drinking water, storing food and reinforcing shelter. It is the basis for everything Viúva Lamego does, transforming something so fundamental and simple into a body of work that has been elevated through the happy connection between tiles, architecture and art. It differentiates this factory from other factories and shapers of clay. Our references are not specifically colours, techniques, shapes…. - they are completed works of architectural genius where the use of our products, the collaboration with the factory and its artisans elevates each work and helps it become a masterpiece. The result is in plain sight in a way that can only be understood by displaying how it is possible to expand the limits of materialisation. 137

170 YEARS OF ACCEPTING CHALLENGES AND DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS Viúva Lamego started out as “António Lamego’s Pottery Workshop” in the outskirts of 1849 Lisbon. Lamego created a small space where clay was molded into water pots which served the city’s inhabitants. 170 years later, the original space where everything started is now part of the city centre and Viúva Lamego is an ever evolving benchmark of tiled functionality and art, at the crossroads of innovation and tradition. 138

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FROM CLAY WATER POTS TO ARCHITECTURAL MILESTONES 142

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The first shape the Viúva Lamego clay took on was that of a water pot. They began creating a utilitarian product, providing the city of Lisbon with pots to carry and distribute water to its people. Understanding the possibility of the material, it slowly converted and became something altogether different, a part of the construction process, an addition to granite and wood for the houses of the city. At the end of the 19th Century, it wasn’t even considered for decoration purposes, only to use as coating. The 20th century came about and made it definite: Viúva Lamego’s main activity was the production of tiles. 145

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DARINGAND CREATIVE FREEDOM ON AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE There are many names for it - “factory” is probably the most common one it is called, although it is a shortsighted term for what has been developed by Viúva Lamego over their 170 years of history. Some have started describing them as an “Industrial Studio” - a space for artistic invention and exploration, where works of art are brought to life with traditional know-how and innovative techniques, on an industrial scale. This ambiguity serves them well, giving them the creative freedom needed to be as daring as their clients want. 147

RAW MATERIAL AND STRENGTH TO LAST Resistance and durability are both important characteristics of the material. It is why public art is such a fundamental part and piece of the Viúva Lamego puzzle. To have a material that is both chosen as a building block for coating purposes and a way to keep graphic art pieces intact for centuries is the reason there is longevity and heritage in walls all over the world. It is longer lasting than most other coating materials because it resists the pressures of climate and pollution. The physical circumstances may change - a mural in the European city with the sunniest days per year cannot be created with the same material as one where half of the year barely sees the sunlight -, but the colours maintain their identity, the light reflections get richer over the years. Tiles can be produced with three different materials: Terracotta, Stoneware and Porcelain. Terracotta is a clay-based material, characterised by its high porosity and low mechanical strength, requiring a surface finish to render it impermeable. Stoneware and Porcelain are both high- quality ceramic products, with high density and hardness, impermeable and frost resistant. Stoneware has a rate of absorption between 3 to 6%. Whilst Porcelain has a rate of absorption of 0%, making it an optimal solution for specific weather conditions and extreme low temperatures. 148

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AN IDENTITY IN THE NAME Façades are the first works of public art that this factory produced. Their own and later so many others. Kicking off a process that would become what makes them iconic to this day, Viúva Lamego was separated from its competitors due to the artistic component of their work. The spirit of such a brand could not be separated from one crucial fact in its very naming: it requires integrity and strength to build and keep these values for 170 years - about as much intrepid gumption as is required for a widow to take control of a “pottery workshop” in the cultural context of the year 1876. António da Costa Lamego died right just as a simple pottery workshop gained “Factory” status. His widow rolled up her sleeves, got down to business and put her hands on that clay. It started gaining recognition and the name eventually changed to “Viúva Lamego”, as she was the leader: the Lamego Widow. 150