Update: CCA releases statement from Siza.
Earlier this week we announced that Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza was considering donating his archive to institutions outside of his home country of Portugal. Finally, after much discussion and speculation, Siza has arrived at a decision.
Siza will donate one part of the archive to two institutions in Portugal: the Fundação Gulbenkian in Lisbon and the Fundação de Serralves in Porto. The other part of the archive will be given to the Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal.
”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,” Siza wrote in a statement on CCA's website.
He chose the two Portuguese institutions based on the experience, quality and the ability of the institutions to develop or improve their collections. CCA was chosen based on their prestige and unmatched experience in the preservation and presentation of international archives. In Montreal, Siza's archives will join the company of other great names in the world of architecture, such as Peter Eisenman, Aldo Rossi and James Stirling.
In addition, Siza explained that he is supporting a new initiative by the Cultural Representative of Porto to create an exhibition of architecture for the city, with a focus on Siza’s models.
News via Público, CCA.
A version of this story was originally written for ArchDaily Brasil by Joanna Helm.
