End of controversy about Álvaro Siza's archive

Álvaro Siza Vieira announced yesterday the decision on his archive, which will be donated by the architect himself, to Fundação Gulbenkian, Fundação de Serralves and Canadian Centre for Architecture, in Montreal, one of the world's leading institutions in the area of architecture, which features in its museum and documentation center, archives and collections from some of the most prestigious international architects.

The recent news that the architect would be negotiating the transfer of his archives to the Canadian Centre for Architecture has generated some controversy. If there was consensus that the architect had the right to dispose as he pleased, of the testimonies of his work, there was also the concern that his archives had to leave Portugal.

Álvaro Siza Vieira was the first Portuguese architect awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1992. The architect explains that during the last years he sensed the need to organize the archive of his many years of activity dedicated to architecture, looking for "a solution he considered substantiated", and he found that "there was a clear interest on the part of individuals and institutions." Some drawings and models from his archive can be found, for some time now, in Paris (Beaubourg) in New York (MOMA) and London (Niall Hobhouse Collection), in their architecture archives.

“It is my desire that so many years of work can become useful in many ways, as a contribution to the research and debate on architecture, particularly in Portugal and with a perspective opposed to isolation – as it is already taking place today and this is indispensable. I initiated some conversations, I listened to recommendations, and I have now formed my own idea on the way my archive should be organized, and how and where to locate it." states Álvaro Siza.

According to the architect, he chose to donate a part of his archive to two Portuguese institutions that already have the experience, quality and capacity to develop or enlarge their respective archives (Fundação Gulbenkian and Fundação de Serralves) with the goal of increasing access, dissemination and active participation in a debate that is no longer simply national nor centered on an individual. The other part will be donated to the Canadian Centre for Architecture, " an institution of unequaled experience and prestige and with a sustained series of activities" that is " recognized for its experience in the preservation and presentation of international archives," says the architect.

 “Based on recent conversations, the Canadian Centre for Architecture is open to collaborate with Fundação Gulbenkian and Fundação de Serralves to establish a consistent cataloguing system and to share the research and related programming”, adds Álvaro Siza.

Eduardo Souto de Moura, the second Portuguese architect  awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2011, Álvaro Siza Vieira’s collaborator and friend pointed, in an interview to Público, the need for "a House of Architecture with half a dozen archivists, a safe and firm institution" as the solution that would be ideal to ensure the preservation of the memory and legacy of architects such as Álvaro Siza.

And he leaves the provocation: "Portugal practically has nothing important. Except for football and athletics. Others say that our architecture is important. "

We can only fully agree with the words of Souto de Moura.

If architecture is an integral part of Portuguese culture, with recognized merit and prestige all over the world, wouldn’t it be natural that it would have a devoted space with the dignity that it deserves?

Perhaps we need to wait for another Pritzker Prize...