Literary Dose #18

"Reduction is always risky, but [Alvaro] Siza's observations [on his working process] could be simplified in this manner:

place: origin of all architecture."

"distance: provided by the fact that it's others who build."

"discussion: pay attention to those who will be using the building."

"contingency: the solutions to the specific problems of each job are to be found in the conflicts that accompany the reality of the context of the work."

"uncertainty: thanks to the vagueness of the goal being pursued at the start of the job. The reaction is not resignation. On the contrary, that all well-done jobs end in surprise is a source of satisfaction."

"mediation: architecture as something that calls for group work, accepting one's limitations (constructive, functional, legal, etc.), sacrificing direct personal expression."

"nonsatisfaction: every architectural work is, in the eyes of its architect, unfinished; the architect necessarily feels that his solution failed to resolve all the conflicts inherent in the surrounding reality."

"evidence: architecture as the opportunity to test the uniqueness of things, the uniqueness that in their evidence allows us to discern their very essence."

Rafael Moneo, from Theoretical Anxiety and Design Strategies in the Work of Eight Contemporary Architects (2004)

Photos, from top to bottom (all projects in Portugal, unless noted otherwise):
:: Swimming Pool in Leça da Palmeira (1966) by z.z.
:: Llobregat Sports Complex in Barcelona, Spain (2006) by tiagotchi
:: Social Housing in Saal da Bouça (1977) by z.z.
:: Boa Nova Restaurant in Leça da Palmeira (1963) by andrewpaulcarr
:: School of Architecture in Porto (1996) by z.z.
:: Swimming Pool in Leça da Palmeira (1966) by olotini
:: "Bonjour Tristesse" in Berlin, Germany (1984) by dianavieira

All photos grabbed from the archidose Flickr pool.