Pavilhão de Portugal - Lisboa, Portugal - Architecture Prizes on Waymarking.com

For the Lisbon Expo 98, Portugal entrusted Siza Vieira to the realization (without a competition) of the main pavilion at the expo. This pavillion would explain the history, commitment and importance of the Portuguese in the seas.

The building should be thought of as a permanent building and that after the expo would be given a utility, but this was previously undefined. The flag should be implemented in the context of an outline and subject to change and among other buildings which were undefined and in its early stages.

There was a lack of solid reference guide with which to solve the project.

The area allocated for the expo was an area environmentally damaged and abandoned on the shores of the Tagus river. Here were once located, a compactor, a weapons factory, an oil refinery and a service station, between other buildings with highly polluting functions.

The purpose of the organizers was not only regain this area of the city, but also develop it and give it momentum, so it was thought useful to give all this infrastructure beyond the expo, creating a new district which would be connected to the city through a new subway line, the Vasco da Gama bridge and a multimodal station designed by Santiago Calatrava.

The original location was on the other end of the park and was changed at request of Siza Vieira to place the building near the river.

The building proposed has a festive an emblematic image that stands out for its simplicity and forcefulness, worked in a pure rationalist language.

According to the architects (Interiors were designed by Souto de Moura) during the development of this project Siza reminded some of the most serene Venetian buildings and their relationship to the water and he tryed to bring the city to the river through the building since this area of the city was disconnected from the water due to high activity port operating here.

As further shown metaphorically in the building features a large pergola curved in a catenary shape representing the sails of the Portuguese ships and light entering the large space that behaves like a large window to the sea.


The building consists of two distinct parts which are linked through the large gazebo, a covered area of 3,900 square meters facing the ceremonial square, a rectangle of 65 x 60 meters defined by the suspended slab whith its catenary curve with minimum height of 10 meters and two monumental gates, and a building of nearly 14,000 square meters exhibition area.

In the basement is located a service area.

The structure is made of reinforced concrete, the pergola is a thin reinforced concrete slab about 20 cm thick, painted white, which is supported by steel cables attached at two large walls. The slab and the walls are separated allowing light to enter between the slab and the porch.

The Portico is made of reinforced concrete covered with colorful tiles. The use of concrete is a preference of the architect and the colored tiles give a little more joy to the building and take away frivolity.

Alvaro Siza Vieira won the Pritzker Prize with this work in 1992. Eduardo Souto Moura won the 2011 edition with it´s Sporting de Braga Stadium project.

The building was classified as a Public Interest Monument in 2010

Adapted from wikiarquitectura

Architect: Alvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto Moura Prize received: Pritzker Architecture Prize In what year: 1992 Website about the Architect: [Web Link] Website about the building: [Web Link]

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