The fortune of the city is that it has never been perfect

The exhibition “The fortune of the city is that it has never been perfect” examines Álvaro Siza’s urban projects through his experiential way of understanding a place, its shape, its embodied history, and its life. It highlights his commitment to determine the right scale of intervening and building within existing frameworks, rather than only designing single buildings. The exhibition features drawings, models, sketchbooks, photographs, and documents from Siza’s archives at the CCA, along with contributions from architects and historians connected to his projects. A book accompanies the exhibition, based on an oral history conducted with Siza and enriched with newly discovered notes.