Álvaro Siza's 15 Essential Books Revealed in New 'The List' Project

The independent Lisbon-based publisher monade, founded by architect and researcher Daniela Sá with João Carmo Simões, has launched 'The List', a project that asks leading architects to share the fifteen books that shaped their vision. The inaugural list features Pritzker Prize winner Álvaro Siza, born in Matosinhos in 1933. Siza's selection includes architecture titles such as L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui 29 / Alvar Aalto, which he bought on a professor's advice in 1950s Portugal, and Fernando Távora's O Problema da Casa Portuguesa, written during the dictatorship. Italian architects Alberto Sartoris (Introduzione all'Architettura Moderna) and Vittorio Gregotti (Il Territorio dell'Architettura) appear, alongside Kenneth Frampton's Modern Architecture: A Critical History. Literary works include poetry by Fernando Pessoa, Constantinos Cavafy, Omar Khayyam, and Blaise Cendrars. The list reflects Siza's career, which began with the Boa Nova Tea House (1958-63) and Leça Pool (1961-66) and recently completed his first US building, 611 West 56th Street in New York. Siza, who won the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the 13th Venice Architecture Biennale curated by David Chipperfield, has strong ties to Italy, working in Venice, Gallarate, Salemi, and Naples. The project also includes a newsletter for early access to rare books. Monade recently published the first English edition of Siza's Imagining the Evident, featuring his hand drawings.