Places
Casa da Arquitectura
Regular Visits
Tours
Visit accompanied by Architect João Paulo Rapagão
Maximum 15 people per visit
No reservation required; first-come, first-served
No wheelchair access
Photography allowed
Description
The 4 houses that occupy the 3 volumes, closed off from the street but facing the gardens and public space, are marked by the contrast between the compartmentalizing of bedrooms and the fluidity of the sitting rooms. They reveal themselves as labs for the architecture that the author develops, with experiences and influences of vernacular Japanese way of construction, in stone walls and wood details; and the popular Portuguese way of building, in roofs, carpentry work and stairs. Le Corbusier contaminates the spans and plasters, A. Aalto the intimate spaces, W. Gropius the functionality, and finally, A. Gaudí the gates and the exuberant and extravagant chimney, covered with glass mosaics, a novelty in the 1950s, learned in the studio of F. Távora. We are visiting the home of Fernando Neto, Álvaro Siza’s first client that has lived in the house since 1957. He tells us that in response to criticism, “the architect didn’t pay any attention. He said time would tell”.
Location
Avenida Afonso Henriques / Rua Dr. Filipe Coelho
Directions: Google Maps / Apple Maps
Public Transport
Subway: Linha A - Senhor de Matosinhos
Bus: STCP - 505, 506