SizaATLAS

ISTAR-Iscte will lead an innovative project, SizaATLAS, on Alvaro Siza Vieira masterpieces, for the next 2 years, starting in September 2021. This project funded by FCT will be developed in collaboration with FAUP (Faculdade de Arquitetura da Universidade do Porto) and ESG (Escola Superior Gallaecia). The Principal Investigator is Soraya Genin, also president of ICOMOS Portugal, whose main objective with this project is to promote a better understanding of the unique value of Siza’s architecture, in a national and international context.

Following the ICOMOS study “The World Heritage list: filling the gaps – an action plan for the future” and the Global Strategy of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) encouraging State Parties to submit nominations on the 20th century Heritage, ICOMOS-Portugal presented an Ensemble of works of Álvaro Siza for the World Heritage (WH) Tentative List, in 2017. Despite the international recognition of the quality of Siza’s architecture, there is not yet a complete and systematic inventory of his built works. The information is usually scattered, partial or incomplete. In this framework, the scope of SizaATLAS project is to address a comprehensive inventory of all of Siza’s built works, and to develop a detailed documentation and analysis of the 18 buildings selected for the WH List.

The research intends to develop a collaborative platform for open access, a georeferenced inventory of all the built works by Siza, in Portugal and abroad, including constructive Documentation and Analysis of the 18 selected built works as well as information regarding its current state of conservation.

The proposed research team has multidisciplinary competences in the areas of Architecture, History, World Heritage, Technology, Engineering and IT and external experts will be invited to contribute do the project. SizaATLAS research project contributes for knowledge through the study and enhancement of Portuguese architecture in an international framework; for the protection of Siza’s works at municipal, national and international level; and for a deeper reflection of its contribution to the 20th and even 21st century architecture, responding to the UNESCO Global Strategy; and assuring the diffusion and the preservation of Siza’s works for future generations.