Paulo David has been announced as the eleventh recipient of the Alvar Aalto Medal – a prestigious honor awarded to an architect or architectural firm that has provided significant contributions to the field of architecture. “In an era where the profession is obsessed with computer-generated patterns, ‘design’ in many practices has become greatly interested in manipulating forms rather than place making and the making of architecture.” The jury honors David for his ability to create timeless architecture that plays a significant role in his hometown island of Madeira. David’s respect for history, time, place, culture and technology has allowed him to stand out from the current trend of “desperately interesting architecture” and create a new, meaningful layer within the historic volcanic landscapes of Madeira.
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The isolated lifestyle, rugged coastline, endless seascape and raw tropical environment of Madeira have played a significant role behind David’s work. Since 2003, David has “achieved a body of work that reflects the power of Madeira’s tough physical environment, where his diverse building types range in scale from single family houses to multiple housing, art galleries, museums swimming pools and more, each being designed to read as much part of the landscape as being works of architecture. The work adds new layers to hundreds of years of landscape and architecture on the island.”
The jury praises his ability to unify the architecture with the landscape, allowing the buildings to “silently occupy the land”. His “appropriate, relevant and authentic architecture” is described as a “response rather than of imposition.”
The Jury
- Chair Glenn Murcut
- Jens Arnfre
- Luis M. Mansill
- Roy Mänttär
- Simo Paavilaine
Alvar Aalto Medal Recipients
- 1967 by Alvar Aalto
- 1973 Hakon Ahlberg (Sweden)
- 1978, James Stirling (England)
- 1982 Jørn Utzon (Denmark)
- 1985 Tadao Ando (Japan)
- 1988 Alvaro Siza (Portugal)
- 1992, Glenn Murcutt (Australia)
- 1998, Steven Holl (American )
- 2003 Rogelio Salmona (Colombia)
- 2009 Tegnestuen Vandkunsten (Denmark)
- 2012 Paulo David (Portugal)
Paulo David will give a lecture and be presented the Alvar Aalto Medal at the Museum of Finnish Architecture this Saturday, February 4th at 3PM. Find more information here.
Check out Paulo David’s Arts Centre – Casa Das Mudas here on ArchDaily.
Reference: Alvar Aalto Museo
