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ESTAÇÃO DE METRO BAIXA-CHIADO BAIXA-CHIADO METRO STATION Lisboa, Portugal 1998 “Tile is different when used in interior spaces because direct sunlight is missing. It is different when there are no windows.” Álvaro Siza Photography by Duccio Malagamba 54

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In an industrial and almost mystical dimension, the Baixa-Chiado metro station (located in the centre of the capital) is lined with a combination of smooth rectangles and bevelled pieces. The flat surfaces are combined with relief areas and cover the entire available surface of the station, namely the vaulted ceilings, creating a feeling of immersion and creating light play that evokes the texture of a scaled surface. Set in a historic area of ​t​ he city, also recovered by architect Álvaro Siza after the 1988 fire that destroyed what was the ‘Heart of Lisbon’, Baixa-Chiado Station reinforced the modernisation of the area and regained the intensity of social, cultural and economic life, in a project that continued heritage through innovation. 57

The tile assumes technical characteristics that justify its use in almost all metro stations in Lisbon, such as ease of cleaning and maintenance and the possibility of detecting natural phenomena such as landslides, due to the sensitivity of the material. In addition to this functional component, the tile is in Portugal an art form that has transformed the stations into places of public art, such as open air museums. The use of tile in this project is reminiscent of the traditional stonework used in plenty of building façades in Portugal, adding reflection to the well-known shape. It is an unusual shape for a tile to take, covering the entirety of the interior of the largest and deepest (45 meters underground) metro station of the Lisbon subway network. The ceilings are shaped like domes, which take the passengers deep below the ground or guide them out. 58

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PAVILHÃO CENTRO DE PORTUGAL CENTRE OF PORTUGAL PAVILION Coimbra, Portugal, with Eduardo Souto de Moura 2000 “I quickly understood that it is necessary, in keeping with the functions and service of agriculture, to go further. And at the moment arquitecture means a kind of liberation.” Álvaro Siza Photography by Duccio Malagamba 60

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This project was created within the context of the Expo 2000 World Fair, held in Hannover, Germany. Souto de Moura and Álvaro Siza’s building represented Portugal and was later brought to the Parque Verde do Mondego in the Portuguese city of Coimbra, where it serves as a space for cultural activities. Two of its façades are tiled in vibrant colours - one is yellow and the other is blue. With the use if these two colours, Siza seems to have materialised the expression “ouro sobre azul” (“gold on blue”, a portuguese popular saying that intends to convey the same idea as the expression “icing on the cake”), and this choice can be interpreted as a tribute to traditional housing in some areas of Portugal, which integrate outlines painted in these colours or as an invocation of the Portuguese coastline of blue seas and yellow sandy beaches, one of the most famous images of the country. 63

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COMPLEXO HABITACIONAL TERRAÇOS DE BRAGANÇA TERRAÇOS DE BRAGANÇA HOUSING COMPLEX Lisboa, Portugal 2004 “I wasn’t comfortable choosing a colour. Because tile changes, it doesn’t have one colour. The colour changes according to the light, the way the sun moves, reflections.” Álvaro Siza Photography by Fernando Guerra 66

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Siza faced the challenge of creating a housing complex that would respect and integrate a historic neighborhood of buildings well- established with their surroundings, characterised by a lot of traditional use of tile in many of the neighboring façades. Keeping in mind the reflections created by the proximity to the river, the light specific to the street the buildings are on, which leads to the water, and the colours of the tile façades of the buildings around it, the architect chose to work with a palette of four colours: beige, grey and two different shades of blue, giving a modernist twist to the historically traditional use of tile as a coating and decorative material. 68

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“I was finding it hard to make a decision to order an amount of tiles, confident of how they would turn out. I asked Cargaleiro and he came with me to the site. The tile panels were assembled and he gave me an advice. Looking around and considering the other tiles used in the surroundings - we were there observing, on different moments of the day, how the tiles worked and what they did.” Álvaro Siza 71

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ESTAÇÃO DE METRO SÃO BENTO SÃO BENTO METRO STATION Porto, Portugal 2006 “No two tiles have the exact same colour.” Álvaro Siza Photography by Fernando Guerra 74

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“The Alcobaça Monastery kitchen was the big inspiration for this work. In a large space with about 25 meters of height, the walls are covered with white tiles, from top to bottom. No two tiles have the exact same colour. It is a fantastic richness of colour, a beautiful blend. This is what I wanted to achieve in that piece - to mix several different shades of white. We were trying to intentionally create an effect that happened naturally at the time, due to the way they cooked and glazed those tiles. In Alcobaça, the result was a beautiful accident. In the station, it was intentional. The different shades of white bring a certain vibration to the space. It’s not a simple white, it’s not a clean/plain black. It is so much richer because there is constant difference within the unity.” Álvaro Siza 78

Whereas the Alcobaça Monastery kitchen uses 100 accidental shades of white, the mosaic effect created in the underground Metro Station in São Bento is accomplished with 7 different handpicked shades. This composition is enriched with stylized drawings of the bridges which connect the Douro River banks of Porto and Gaia, subtly creating an apparent indication of movement close to the platforms or exits - they seem to facilitate the flow of passengers, telling them to go up and down. In this project, form is created to make the coating for the different types of columns. 79

BASÍLICA DA SANTÍSSIMA TRINDADE HOLY TRINITY BASÍLICA Fátima, Portugal 2007 “In the end, I was pleased with the result, but I had a tough time. It was a never-ending process. I don’t remember how many scenes there are in that patio, but it comprises 150 meters.” Álvaro Siza Photography by Fernando Guerra 80

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The architect responsible for the The Holy Trinity Basilica project, Alexandro Tombazis, invited Álvaro Siza to create the panels for the patio because he was so taken by what he had created in the Igreja de Santa Maria. Siza was inspired by Matisse’s drawings for the Vence Chapel in France and created drawings that transmit movement. “I was invited to participate in this project by the Architect of the church, Alexandro Tombazis. He had seen the work I had done at the Santa Maria Church and asked me to create murals in the same tone. When I got there, I was scared because these are 150 metres of space to fill. For this project, I had a script. It was based on the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul and someone gave me the scenes that I was to depict. I started drawing based on those episodes. I would go home each night and start drawing on A3 paper. For each scene, I would do 10 or 12 drawings and, in the end, pick one.” Álvaro Siza 85

“There was only one problem: when I created the drawings, I was unaware that they had to be created in chronological order. I had come up with a solution in which I had developed the work thinking of using the space in the best possible way. Those responsible for the project were very pleased with the result but it had to be completely changed. I had to work on everything from scratch. The gallery has a series of doors that lead into small chapels and rooms of worship, but the distance between those doors varies a lot - some chapels are bigger than others. Those were the spaces defined for the murals. My logic was this: whenever a mural demanded a lot of material and human figures, I would devote it to one of the larger spaces. Whenever the depicted episode required a drawing of a lonely figure, I would devote it to one of the more narrow spaces. I had to rethink most of the scenes and drawings, because some of them would never fit the narrower walls.” Álvaro Siza 86

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PISCINA INTERIOR DO SPA PEDRAS SALGADAS THE INSIDE POOL AT PEDRAS SALGADAS SPA Vila Real, Portugal 2009 “Tiles created for the space, instead of simply coating the surfaces with them. Time consuming and rigorous processes.” Álvaro Siza Photography by Duccio Malagamba 88

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The pool is part of the rehabilitated historic Thermal Centre building at the Pedras Salgadas Spa, which was projected by Álvaro Siza in 2009. The complexity of this project is evident by looking at the room with the inside pool, the shape of its ceilings and walls. It was not possible to get to the final result without the attention (or obsession) to detail, which led to the creation of different sizes and shapes of tiles - everything had to fit just right. The outcome speaks for itself. “Every angle of wall, ceiling and ground was individually worked - adding a centimeter to the tile, taking two off, making it perfectly adjusted to the dimensions of the space.” Álvaro Siza 90

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PISCINA CLUB HOUSE VIDAGO PALACE THE VIDAGO PALACE CLUB HOUSE POOL Chaves, Portugal 2010 “Architecture is rigour, relentlessness; but painting - a certain kind of painting - plays a lot with the atmosphere, the light.” Álvaro Siza Photography by Duccio Malagamba 92

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As part of the project to rehabilitate the Spa of the Vidago Palace Hotel, Álvaro Siza chose a specific shade of grey that, in a discrete but impactful way, gives the space a special light and feeling. The tiled surface is embodied in the modern, pure and clean lines of this space, coming from the avant-garde style of Siza, that contrasts with the classical architecture throughout the Hotel. 94

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Less obvious in its intention is the presence of the large whale drawn on one of the pool walls of the Vidago Palace Spa. Represented jumping out of the water, painted on tiles of a specific shade of grey, almost iridescent of marked reflective potential, this image tries to transmit the joy of swimming in these waters and the invigorating character of their properties. 97

MIZIUM BUILDING - AMORE PACIFIC RESEARCH AND DESIGN CENTRE Yongin-Si, Geyeonggi-do, South Korea with Carlos Castanheira and Kim Jong Kyu 2010 “Architecture is art, and that has always been in my spirit.” Álvaro Siza Photography by Fernando Guerra 98

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A research centre with such open areas might be unusual, but it works well. This was the expressed intention of the client, who was truly inspired by Álvaro Siza’s work in the Library at the University of Aveiro, located on the west coast of Portugal. Converging research facilities, a design centre, auditoriums, social areas, an exhibition space, a hotel and restaurant for internal use, a health club (and more), the Amore Pacific Cosmetics company’s complex is rich with detail. The impactful mural combines both the use of colour, in total eight different tones, and the dark line of Siza’s signature drawing. The cromatism with a Matisse-like composition of this panel, altough unfamiliar to european sensibilities, fits the vocation of the oriental world, characterised by dense and vibrant contrasts. It offers a striking contrast between the muted white surrounding and the lively tile. 100