About
The general objective of the project is to study the transformations of Siza's collective housing over the last 5 decades, focusing on the articulated analysis of: a) the projects (social housing/private development) and their social and urban contexts; b) their residents and the relationship they develop with the designed space. The research follows an intensive methodology: comparative study of 3 cases/projects of collective housing by Siza. Each project represents a particular moment in the architect's professional life, which corresponds to a particular moment in society and the city; these 3 projects together, and their time sequence, represent Siza’s individual trajectory (part thereof) and that of contemporary society and the city. The cases include: 1st Bouça/Porto, launched after the 1974 revolution. It symbolises the revolution, architecture and the right to the city when the city was failing; 2nd Terraços de Bragança – Chiado, Lisbon, launched in the 1990s. It symbolises the Portuguese property boom, the beginning of modernisation and the delay in urban regeneration; 3rd Building 611 West 56th Street – Hell’s Kitchen, New York, built in the 2010s. It symbolises hyper-globalisation, the rise of the city, the control of the economy by real estate capital and the undeniable value of architectural authorship.
Reference: SIZA/UES/0014/2019
Timeline: February 2022-January 2024.
