Portugal

This article was originally published on January 2, 2015. To read the stories behind other celebrated architecture projects, visit our AD Classics section.

At the Expo ’98 Portuguese National Pavilion, structure and architectural form work in graceful harmony. Situated at the mouth of the Tagus River in Lisbon, Portugal, the heart of the design is an enormous and impossibly thin concrete canopy, draped effortlessly between two mighty porticoes and framing a commanding view of the water. The simple, gestural move is both weightless and mighty, a bold architectural solution to the common problem of the covered public plaza. Under the graceful touch of Álvaro Siza Vieira, physics and physical form theatrically engage one another, and simplicity and clarity elevate the pavilion to the height of modern sophistication.

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AAICO (Architecture and Art International Congress at Oporto) is an initiative by AMAG, in partnership with Casa de Arquitectura, FAUP - Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto, SERRALVES Foundation, and the institutional support of Ordem dos Arquitectos.

The initiative was created with the aim of promoting the practice and the disciplines of architecture and art, to foster, develop and strengthen relationships between architects, designers, artists, students and the community in general. This week devoted to architecture and art will bring together more than 50 architects and artists of international prestige: Tony Fretton, Marc Dubois, Francis Kéré, Carmody Groarke, Manuel Aires Mateus, Eduardo Souto Moura, Jose Pedro Croft, Fernanda Fragateiro. This promising program is divided into three major periods throughout the day, including conferences, workshops, and exhibitions. 

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